#note here I don’t see regeneration as death as such

[tswhiisftteedr]

Not to be rude but you accidentally put val's story in vox's masterlist instead. Srry I didn't feel comfy dming you. Nothing against you at all I'm just a coward wanting to hide in anon haha. Ig while I'm here could I get vox general hcs pls?

What the Tv do? ☆ Vox General Headcanon + Drabbles (SFW & NSFW)

☆ Vox General headcanon + Vox x Gn!Reader(Employee!Reader??):

Some general thoughts about the tv man and also his relationship with the ‘reader’. This is silly, this is fun, fluffy and smutty.

Warnings: Mature Content, Not Proofread, Drinking, Death(literally overdose on coffe nothing gruesome), Drug use(c0caine and others substances), Sadistic Tendencies, Dub-Con, Power Imbalance/Power Play, Obsessive and Possessive Tendencies and Acts, Stalking, Voyeurism & Exhibitionism, Boss x Employee, Pet Play?(Just collaring and slight animal based pet names), Valentino.

Words: Total: 5496 = Sfw - 2609 + Nsfw - 2887

Note: I only wrote 1 drabble, i might add more if people request it about the specific headcanon they want more on. so I’m not good with request like these, I like when they are more specific so I have sort of something to base my writing on, so sorry if you anon or people don’t like what I’ve wrote, r.i.p. >:/ Though tell me if you want more!!

☆ more under the cut. ☆

SFW:

☕︎ Coffee addict and 𓏊 Alcoholic

Vox is the figurative and quite literally incarnation of the ‘don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee’ phrase.

But we’re talking coffees instead of coffee with him — two cups straight out of bed to be precise. When totalling the day’s consumption, Vox indulges on average, 6-7 cups of 10 oz coffee; in addition to his morning coffees, he likes to have a mid-morning cup, then two during lunch and finally 1-2 cups during the afternoon depending how late he is working.

Is this per say, ‘healthy’? No, not at all, Vox couldn't care less — worst ‘worst’ case scenario, he quote on quote dies, the coffee he had intake ends up intoxicating him due to the splurging amount of it, turning this mondaine drink into a lethal liquid for the overlord’s body. His heart would stop, sub-consequently, him and his body would be out.

Though the good thing — or bad, it all depends on your angle — about hell is that in about the span of 10 minutes his body will have fully regenerate and be back open for business. Some sinners call it it a curse, he calls it a blessing, as this part of the ‘eternal punishment’ practically makes him immortal.

So is he going to work on regulating his caffeine intake? Obviously not!

Worst thing he gets from his ‘little problem’ is a heart attack, and they don’t permanently keep him down. — Sure, they hurt like a bitch, and he would rather not be having them at all to be truthful.

But he honestly he doesn’t see his bimonthly cardiac arrests as that steep of a price to pay. (Honestly how can such a smart businessman be so dumb about his health. * face palming and baffled at the idiocy of it all *)

Now when alcohol is the subject of conversation, Vox takes a slightly different approach, albeit one still characterized by overindulgence.

You see, he prides himself on being the epitome of a charming, classy, and self-controlled casual drinker, compared to his drunkard of a pattern —Valentino— our lovely show host with anger issues and both inferiority and superiority complex is a sophisticated and savvy man.

However, beneath this facade of self-control, which he upholds quite well to the public eye, hides his obvious alcoholism issues.

While he may not be stumbling and blubbering around, picking fights,— in most instances at least— Vox is certainly what you might call a “day drinker."

In fact, this is actually a canonical trait, which was displayed in episode two of the show; Him discussing with others Vees on how to deal with the radio demon’s comeback, a drink in hand.

I presume thatit was a scotch on the rocks due to it’s colour but also it’s historical relevance in relation to Vox’s person— Scotch whisky poured over ice, gained popularity in the 1950s primarily in Western countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

It became a symbol of sophistication and leisure, often enjoyed in upscale bars, clubs, and lounges frequented by the affluent and fashionable crowd of the era.

Additionally, its popularity was bolstered by the rise of cocktail culture during the mid-20th century, as well as the increasing availability of Scotch whisky in international markets. — this fits quite nicely Vox’s character as it is both a drink of his time on earth but also one that remains relevant in the contemporary era.

It easily mirrors Vox's overarching desire to maintain relevance and significance, both in the present and in the ever-evolving future.

The overlord definitely adhere to ‘it’s five o’clock somewhere’ religiously. Though he does prefer to enjoy his daily drink around 5 p.m. PRT (Pride Ring Time).

He will occasionally enjoys a drink with his lunch, often opting for wine, although this isn't a regular occurrence for the man.

As someone constantly under stress, with his mind racing to keep up with the ever-changing trends and opinions in hell, Vox is a type to indulge in a nightcap or two before bed.

It helps him unwind and achieve the relaxed state of mind necessary for a restful night's sleep.

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 Sleep

While the notion of ‘Vox's dreams playing on his screen while he's asleep’ is an amusing concept for fanfiction or artwork, I personally find the idea of ‘the VoxTek logo bouncing around like the DVD logo’ to be more fitting for Vox.

Before delving further, it's important to note that initially, it wasn't necessarily the VoxTek logo projected on his screen; however, I'll address this shortly.

The reason I lean towards the DVD logo concept is because I find it unlikely that Vox's screen would be completely black during sleep. A completely dark screen would imply the device is completely off, no energy is being received or given by it, which would suggest that it is no longer alive. Having some activity on Vox’s screen while asleep would signify that his program is still active, indicating he's still functioning, essentially alive.

Now regarding the widely shared headcanon, I have my own personal take on it.

When Vox first manifested in hell, his 'real name' appeared on screen. By 'real name,' I mean the one he had on Earth, which I believe wasn't Vox —That name seems too futuristic for a person born in the early 1900s or the kind of name you'd associate with a 1950s businessman— Vox is a name he chose for himself after death, symbolizing a fresh start, though I do think that his real name might also have started with a V.

(This perspective extends to other 'Vees' as well, although Velvette seems more plausible as a given name, I suspect it might not be her original one. Valentino, on the other hand, feels like a name assigned to him, but he too might have adopted a new one after death.)

Initially, Vox was unaware of his old name appearing on his screen while he slept since he wasn't conscious during that time. It wasn't until about half a year into his time in hell, during which he introduced himself as Vox to everyone, that one of his acquaintances pointed out this aspect of his physiology. Something along the lines of "Who's V———?" or "Why does V——— show on your screen while you sleep?" triggered a cascade of reactions in him.

Firstly, he panicked, realizing that people had access to his old identity. Secondly, he was puzzled by this phenomenon since no TV he had encountered displayed such behavior, which was normal considering DVDs weren't invented before 1996. — Hell sure was weird, he possessed technological features as part of his physiology before they were even invented— Lastly, this revelation instilled in him a new fear of sleeping.

This behavior stemmed from Vox's desire to construct a fresh existence in hell, complete with a new identity, image, empire, etc. The thought of others accessing his old name and exploiting it to uncover details about his past, including his behaviors, weaknesses, and tactics, filled him with dread.

As a result, he became hyper-vigilant, refusing to sleep unless he was certain of his solitude, fearing the potential repercussions of his former identity being known.

It wasn't until the mid 1960s that Vox had finally managed to upgrade his system, replacing ‘V———‘ with 'Vox'. However, even after this upgrade, he still harboured reservations about sleeping around others for about a year or two. He feared a potential glitch that could revert his screen to displaying his previous name.

Around the late 1970s he had made an adjustment to this aspect of his body once more, replacing 'Vox' with the VoxTek logo after a certain moth had suggested it.

ᯓᡣ𐭩 Sexuality

Our beloved Tv Demon a canonical bisexual man, but I personally believe that while he may have bisexuality as his sexual orientation, — his attraction to men was something he only came to realize after death. Although there were subtle hints of his attraction to the same gender based on how he felt about them, he unfortunately didn't grasp them while still alive;

It would have been the late 1950s, and Vox had been in hell for about a year or two. In his earthly life, he had been with his fair share of women, and even in the "surprisingly not so fiery pits of the underworld," his ability to attract partners hadn't diminished much once got over his TV head appearance and let place for his charming and savvy persona to take over.

His love life seemed unchanged, perhaps with occasional exploration of new kinks, until that fateful night of October 11, 195X...

Vox had gone out for a drink after a grueling day at work, back when he was still toiling away at a low-paying job in an electronics factory, toasters, vacuum, etc. Despite the shitty work he had to go through, he had the perk of taking home broken scraps, which eventually played a role in his rise to success. But let's refocus on his night out, shall we?

He walked into his newfound favorite spot, a comedy bar where he sought solace in laughter and libations after a hard day. Arriving just as the performer began their set, he headed straight to the bar for his usual whiskey on the rocks, with nothing else on his mind. It wasn't until the comedian delivered a particularly hilarious joke that Vox turned to look at them and found his attraction piqued.

It was evident that they were a man with the specific style flashy outfit and makeup they wore. The voice was also a dead giveaway. The person now standing on stage, delivering one funny punchline after another, was a drag queen – a stunning one in Vox's eyes.

He couldn't tear his gaze away; there was something irresistibly captivating about the humorous individual on stage.

After the performance, as they made their way to the bar, Vox seized the opportunity. He introduced himself, and they exchanged pleasantries. They shared drinks and engaged in lively conversation, making for a truly enjoyable night that ended with a bang, quite literally.

In the morning, as clarity returned, Vox couldn't help but feel confused. He had never been attracted to men before, so he initially chalked it up to the alcohol or the fact that his night companion appeared so feminine that he mistook them for a woman.

However, as memories of the night flooded back, he couldn't deny his genuine attraction to every aspect of his partner, even the unmistakably male parts.

Initially, it felt strange to Vox as he reflected on the experience. However, after hours of deep contemplation, everything started to fall into place.

Vox realized he had always felt an affinity towards men, though expressing it as "liking men" might have appeared odd to outsiders. When he used that phrase, it wasn't in the context of sexual or romantic attraction but more of an admiration.

Yet, upon further reflection, he acknowledged that his feelings surpassed mere admiration.

He had never entertained the idea of it being anything akin to sexual or romantic attraction, but his recent encounter forced him to reconsider as he contemplated his life and the events of the previous night.

Vox liked men;

— Vox had always been drawn to the men of his time who exuded masculine confidence and assertiveness, finding their presence alluring and desiring to be in their company constantly.

He liked when they wore classic masculine fashion, such as tailored suits with narrow lapels, fitted jackets, and straight-leg trousers. These outfits oozed sophistication and professionalism, and Vox admired the attention to detail displayed.

Additionally, he liked when men would add classic accessories like fedora hats, skinny ties, cufflinks, and pocket squares to their outfit, they added to the polished and stylish appearance.

The preppy style also appealed to Vox, as he admired men who wore V-neck sweaters, button-down shirts, khaki trousers, and loafers. This style exuded a sense of casual elegance and refinement that he found attractive.

He also had a penchant for rebellious men who embraced a non-conformist aesthetic, often seen in leather jackets, denim jeans, white T-shirts, and motorcycle boots.

Vox liked when men were smart and witty, could keep up with the conversation and also teach something along the way.

Vox liked men who exuded strength and athleticism, finding their ability to handle themselves physically appealing. For instance, witnessing a fistfight between coworkers would stir his emotions, initially attributing his excitement to the violence of the altercation.

However, he would inevitably find himself gravitating towards the winner, intrigued by their display of strength and skill, and feeling drawn to them in some inexplicable way. There was something about winners that captivated him and sparked his desire to get closer to them.

He like men who were daring, adventurous, and unafraid to push boundaries, they appealed to his sense of excitement and thrill-seeking.

He liked men who were ambitious, goal-oriented, and willing to pursue their dreams with determination might have resonated with Vox on a subconscious level.—

After his one-night stand, Vox was determined to clarify things once and for all. Following another grueling day of work, he ventured out again, this time to a gay bar, seeking the company of someone who embodied the traits he found most appealing in men, wanting to ensure it wasn't just the alcohol or the femininity of his previous partner. Without delving into detail, let's just say he had quite the night and afterward, there was no doubt in his mind: ‘he liked women, and he definitely also liked men.’

Following that experience, Vox began seeing more individuals of the same gender. However, he still held onto the notion that while he might be attracted to men, he didn't believe he would be interested in them as anything more than sexual partners. That was until he met Alastor...

Initially, Vox approached the radio demon seeking friendship or perhaps a partnership, given Vox's burgeoning company and rising status as an overlord. However, he soon found himself enamored with Alastor. Unfortunately for Vox, his feelings were not reciprocated. After that, Alastor distanced himself from Vox, leading our TV host to regard his old love as an enemy.

In response to the rejection, Vox decided to cease seeing men altogether, engaging in a series of short-term relationships with women. However, he soon realized he was simply idealizing Alastor and shifted his focus from woman to men for meaningless relationships, attempting to prove to himself that any other man was better than "that Bambi bitch."

But this approach only intensified the emptiness he felt. Recognizing the detrimental effects of his frantic behavior on himself and his company, Vox resolved to regulate and get back on a more business focused path.

The fact that rumours began circulating about his supposed "homoerotic relationships," was also a big push into getting back on track, as a word like that getting out was detrimental to business, since being gay was still stigmatized even in hell, during this time period.

It was around the late 1970s, with the rise of gay rights activism, that Vox began publicly dating men. Coincidentally, this was also when he met and began his business partnership (and more) with Valentino.

𝜗𝜚˚⋆ Names

Vox has a penchant for using endearing or patronizing nicknames, regardless of the gender of his employees. He will refer to them as "sweetheart," "doll face," or simply "doll."

In moments of frustration or when faced with resistance, he's not shy about using terms like "little girl" or "little boy," or even "kid," to belittle those who question him.

Additionally, he might employ terms like "Princess" or "your highness" as forms of condescension, no matter the gender of the person he is addressing.

NSFW

𓊔 Party

Despite Vox's obsession with his and the Vees' image, when it comes to partying, he becomes a total animal — I’m talking ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ type of wild.

Lavish gatherings marked by obscene spending and excessive drug intake, especially cocaine.

Vox typically indulged in doing lines off his desk or the luxurious crystal table in the lounge. However, what truly exited him was snorting lines off someone, getting his rocks off at their inability to refuse his advances and delighting in the control he exerted as he pinned them down to prevent any squirming.

The slight anxious tears and nervous mewls from whoever served as his snorting surface always stirred something within Vox. While he would grow irritated if they moved too much, the subtle signs of fear, such as the wetting of their eyes and trembling breath, would quickly reignite his unstable emotions. He found himself intensely aroused by their scared state, and more than once, he acted on these desires…

Drabble:

You were a VoxTek employee, more specifically; Vox’s secretary.

As Vox's secretary, navigating Alastor-related tantrums and enduring the grueling hours could be incredibly taxing, but the job itself had its perks.

Thanks to your position in the company, you enjoyed luxurious accommodations in the finest suites the V Tower had to offer.

Despite the challenges, Vox could be surprisingly pleasant, his charismatic charm reminiscent of his earlier days when his hypnosis wasn't as potent. And beneath the unconventional exterior of his TV head, there was no denying the appeal of his well-built physique.

Given the close proximity and constant interaction with Vox, it was inevitable to develop a small crush on your boss. His magnetic presence and the fact he was practically the only person you interacted with regularly since he requested you to work closer to him about three months ago only fueled this infatuation.

You liked your boss, but at this moment, you couldn't stand him;

It was 3 a.m. on a Sunday, the one day of the week you were supposed to have some semblance of off-time, with the luxury of sleeping in until noon.

But instead of enjoying your well-deserved rest in bed, you found yourself reluctantly entering the elevator, begrudgingly making your way to the usually closed-off top floor of the building.

Why? Because you had received a threatening and slightly slurry phone call from your boss, demanding your immediate presence or else face termination.

With your livelihood seemingly hanging in the balance, you complied without questioning, even though you loathed every second of it.

After punching in the code provided, you entered the lounge area of the top floor to find all three Vees lounging about. Valentino was enveloped in smoke, while music filled the air.

"Y/N! So glad you made it! Come 'ere," Vox exclaimed, his gestures frantic, urging you to approach quickly. He appeared laid-back, friendly, and strangely excited, a stark contrast to his usual demeanor of coldness and condescension.

Confusion clouded your expression as you approached the couch, unsure of what to make of Vox's sudden change in behavior. Velvette, noticing your bewilderment, chimed in with an explanation. "He took some MDMA before he called you — actually, he couldn't stop blabbing about your ass once that stuff kicked in," she divulged matter-of-factly, adding another layer of peculiarity to the already bizarre situation.

‘Ah, he’s high — that explains the weird friendliness.’ You thought to yourself.

But before you could dwell on it too long, Valentino's words snapped you out of your thoughts, "Yes, little Voxxy over there couldn't stop talking about how much he wanted his little secretary with him right here. He just had to call you, despite it being the middle of the night. I'm sorry you're losing your beauty sleep right now, cariño," he said, his tone tinged with insincerity from false remorse. A small chuckle escaped his lips as he finished speaking, adding to the surreal atmosphere of the moment.

“Val, Vel! You can’t tell them that! Or they’ll, they’ll… fuck!” Vox began to say, but something mid-sentence seemed to frustrate him.

Before you could question it for too long, Valentino answered that question for you. “They’ll figure out you have a little crush on them. Aww, don’t worry papi, it’s not like they can say no to you either way,” the moth darkly announced, frightening you, as it was technically true that you had to obey whatever order your boss gave you; it was in your contract after all.

To your somewhat relief, Vox scoffed at his part-time boyfriend's comment, as if to convey that he wouldn't behave in such a manner.

"Shut the fuck, Val!" Vox began, his frustration evident, before redirecting his attention back to you. "And you, lay down on the table." Confused by the request, you briefly wondered if he was joking, but the seriousness etched on his face made it clear that he wasn't. Resigned, you followed his instruction and laid down on the table as he commanded.

As soon as you complied, a smile spread across Vox's face. "Good, good. Now be a good little secretary and stay still as I do some lines off you, m'kay?" he instructed.

Before you could process anything or say something, he pushed your shirt all the way up, ending just under your chest, and tugged your bottoms down slightly — exposing your whole stomach.

Attempting to voice your discomfort, you were promptly shushed by Vox. "Shhh, you're being a table for me right now, and last time I checked, tables don't talk, now do they, sweetheart? So be a doll and shut up," he said, eliciting laughter from the two other Vees.

You complied with his instructions and remained silent as you felt him pour some powder onto your abdomen. Knowing the drugs he usually made you order on his behalf, it was probably coke.

With that, he quickly formed about three lines and began snorting them. The sensation felt odd and somewhat ticklish to you, but what you didn't expect was for him to lick the parts of your belly where the powder had just sat — long lines that started from top to bottom, causing you to squirm involuntarily.

Vox didn't appreciate your movement, because ‘how dare his table move?’. In response, he firmly gripped your waist on both sides and forcefully slammed your hips against the table as a warning to ‘stop moving’.

However, his claws dug into your skin, causing you to cry out slightly. Upon seeing the small tears in your eyes, his mood shifted once more, from aggravation to something more lustful.

He relished the sight of you with tears in your eyes, so he decided to inflict a bit more pain. With a predatory glint in his eyes, he bit at your sides, knowing that you couldn't retaliate due to the hierarchical difference between you.

His bites started from the top, gradually getting lower until they ended up just above your crotch. With a slight, heavy breathing, he remarked, "Now what do we have here? A snack for me? You shouldn't have." As he removed your bottoms, leaving you in your underwear, a slight moist patch formed due to the position you were in.

Sure, Vox was an entitled asshole, but god, did he look and sound incredible when he was being mean and bossy. How could you not get aroused, especially when his face and long tongue ass were so close to your intimate parts.

"You want me to play with you, darling?" Vox asked in a manner that almost made it feel like you had a choice. There was something about it that suggested he might respect your decision if you said no—sure, he wouldn't like it, but he definitely had this thing where he wanted you to want him, to beg for him, to need him. Forcing himself on you wouldn't align with that desire.

You nodded, but he tutted at you, wanting a verbal answer. "No, no, no, it's 'Could you please, sir?' or 'Would love to, Mr. Vox,' or 'Please, I need you, Vox.' You've got to speak up if you want me to do anything to you, got it, dollface?" he clarified, emphasizing the importance of explicit consent, whether it was due to genuine respect for your boundaries or just his enjoyment of your yearning for him, it was a bit unclear. However, knowing Vox, he probably just got off on your embarrassment.

"Yes, sir," you said, feeling embarrassed. "So? Do you want me to give some love to these," he asked, tracing the outline of your underwear, "lovely parts?" He perked up.

"I would love for you to, sir," you managed to speak out. With a 'perfect' from your boss, he was now eagerly devouring you with his tongue, sending small pleasurable shocks through you as he did. No part of you down there was left un-licked.

Just as you were about to reach that sweet, sweet release — Vox removed himself from you, causing you to whine at the loss of pleasure.

"Don't worry," he said, but before you could complain too much, Vox lifted you up and threw you onto the couch, your face soon hitting the satin pillows. As you heard the sound of his belt unbuckling, you felt your hips being repositioned, leaving you face down and ass up.

Vox quickly pumped his cock a few times, not needing much as it was already hard from the sight of you writhing due to his tongue. Getting close to your ear, he whispered, "Cuz I'm not done with you, dollface."

Then he promptly shoved himself inside of you. Thankfully, whatever he was doing with his tongue a couple of instances ago had prepped you, because, woof, did the stretch sting.

After giving you a few moments to adjust, he began pounding you into tomorrow, playing with your front and sending small shocks here and there. With no regard for his colleagues sitting right beside him —or should I say colleague, as in singular—Velvette had left as soon as he began working you with his tongue. However, Valentino remained, watching the scene unfold with keen interest.

Your soon came undone due to his rough ministrations, but he was far from done with you...

⫘⫘⫘ Ownership, ⛌⛌⛌ Humiliation & Collar

If you haven't already figured it out yet, Vox is a sadist. He thoroughly enjoys power dynamics and the act of humiliating others.

Continuing from the previous headcanon, picture yourself as either hired as his secretary or as a low-ranking demon in his company who catches his eye. If you're the latter, he'll undoubtedly arrange for you to be transferred to work closer to him.

But anyway, my point is, as soon as you're in his close proximity, he'll literally makes you his bitch on call in the blink of an eye. And obviously, you can't refuse because, one, he's your boss; two, he's an overlord; and three, he's Vox.

Who would refuse that hunk? Even if you weren't initially attracted to him, you'd find yourself becoming so after a couple of weeks, even if it's just some weird mild attraction—you're still into him.

Once he's got you in his grasp and has fucked you at least once, this is when he begins to play with you. He'll make you start wearing a vibrator under your clothes at work, ordering you to remove your clothing every morning and show him, to ensure you did it. Then he'd send you on your merry way.

If he wasn't physically with you, he'd be watching you through his cameras.

And every time you would be talking to someone and he deemed it too long, you weren't paying attention to him, or you were zoning out/getting distracted, he would turn the vibrator on to 'get you back on track'.

Though he did like to sometimes turn the vibrator on just to tease you. For example, you're in the middle of telling him about a shift in his appointment in a room full of people, and he would suddenly turn it on to fuck with you.

He also has a huge thing for pulling you by your soul chain. He just loves, loves, loves summoning it out of nowhere and just tugging you along with it.

For instance, you could be telling him about some issue concerning a recent project, and he would tell you to come closer so he could hear better.

As you walk closer towards his desk, he deems your pace too slow. Without warning, he summons and tugs at the chain around your neck, causing you to fall to the ground.

In an attempt to brace the fall, you put your arms out, catching yourself and ending up on all fours.

But as you try to get up, he would tut at you, ordering you to “Crawl to me.” You’re humiliated, but you still do it as he watches you like a hawk, a satisfied grin on his face.

If you also happen to scrape or bruise yourself when you fell and some small tears form in your eyes, let me tell you, he would get so bricked up as soon as he noticed them.

And of course, he would make you blow him, though it would end up with him face-fucking you, as it usually did.

He would also hold your head down as he dumped his cum down your throat, then he would pull your nose with his free hand, saying that “you don’t get to breathe until you’ve swallowed it all.” And of course, you would do it because you don’t want to literally choke to death on your boss’s dick.

Once he was sure you had swallowed it all, he would finally release you, allowing you to take some air in. Then he would make you stick out your tongue, and he would spit in your mouth, making you swallow that too.

𐂯 Training

He liked using small electrical charges as a ‘training method’, and this method has two stages. This would happen after he already had you as his personal toy— I mean, ‘secretary’.

At first, he uses electricity to reprimand you whenever you weren’t paying attention to him, questioned him, said no to things, or did anything that he considered as bad behaviour.

He would shock you, making you associate ‘bad behavior’ with pain, so you would end up automatically correct yourself before you even do or say something.

If you take a bit too long to ‘adjust’ to this new way of acting, he might resort to a little bit of hypnosis, but he would prefer not to.

He gets off on the fact that he can train you to behave just with his words and actions, without the help of any special ability.

Anyways, when he is sure that he has drilled into you what proper behavior is, he’ll employ phase two. He’ll start training you to enjoy the sting of his electricity.

So, whether he's fucking you, giving you head, touching you, or basically providing any sort of pleasure, every time you would be close to reaching your peak, he would send jolts of electricity through you, gradually increasing the dosage over time.

Things would get to the point that a small shock from him would be enough to get you turned on, and bigger shocks would be able to literally make you cum.

ฅ Pet

For the most part, he wouldn’t see secretary!reader as a partner. It’s only after a while, like a year or more, that he would start considering it.

He views them as his romantic interests, but not on his level. To keep face with the other Vees, even though they both knew about his crush from the beginning because he was so obvious with it, he would call you his pet.

Sometimes literal ‘pet names’ like puppy, kitty, bunny, etc. (Personally, I would love for him to call him his bunny <3.)

What he calls you all depends on your appearance and behaviors. For example, if you manifested with a more feline appearance, he would call you his kitten or kitty. If you didn’t have animal-like features but for example, were very needy, had a tendency to follow around, and were a sucker for praise, he would likely call you his puppy.

𓌏 Punishments

Besides using electric shocks, he is definitely into spanking as a form of punishment—whether it involves pulling down your pants or lifting your skirt, spanking you for every ‘transgression’ you’ve committed is something he’s totally down for.

It can be a really strange experience if you weren't a masochist to begin with because he'll end up having you conditioned to enjoy physical punishments;

For example, he would be spanking you, and you find yourself getting turned on, arousal literally leaking due to his rough treatment of your behind.

Edging and overstimulation are also big in his book, though each has its own set of circumstances where they would be implemented.

For instance, if you weren't paying attention to him because of someone else, he would overstimulate you to the point where you couldn't think about anyone but him, asserting his superiority over whoever had your attention.

If you weren't paying attention for any other reason, he would edge you, because ‘how dare you ignore him when he should be the most important to you!’.

Thanks anons for requesting!

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[good-chimes]

THE H.T.G.Y. FILES

Project team notes: Vat growth stage has been successful. Please note project is titled Human Tactical Ground-unit Y (H.T.G.Y.) and this is the only designation that should be used. Lab technicians who continue to use slang term hotguy will be written up. 

Senior researcher CUB-135 has been called in to consult. Please give him access to all non-sensitive files.

+

[AUDIO TRANSCRIPT]

HTGY: Well, hello there!

CUB-135: Hi. How’s it, uh. How’s it going?

HTGY: How’s it going? Huh, that’s the first time someone’s asked me that. Wait a minute. I know that one. How’s it going. Oh, oh, I got it. It’s going great!

CUB-135: …Cool.

HTGY: Yeah. Yeah. Isn’t it great to be alive and awake? How’s it treating you?

CUB-135: It’s magnificent.

HTGY: [laughing] Magnificent. Oh, I like that. Who are you, my friend?

CUB-135: I’m a consultant. Cub-one-three-five. The project team dragged me in because I wrote the genome.

HTGY: Consultant…. So you’re the one who does their thinking for them, huh?

CUB-135: [surprised laugh] Yeah.

HTGY: Well, I’m telling you, they need it. Buncha people prodding me to see if I can stand up! You can just ask that, can’t you? A man’s gotta have space, Cub. A man’s gotta do things under his own steam.

CUB-135: Yeah, I guess. Yeah.

HTGY: [conspiratorial] Here’s a question. Got a lot of things in my head, Cub. The ol’ memory’s all messed up. I’m new, right?

CUB-135: You’re new. That’s right.

HTGY: I thought so! How new?

CUB-135: Uhh… three days? Three days and two hours.

HTGY: Thank you! Finally. Can’t get a straight answer out of anyone here.

CUB-135: …you want your genome notes?

HTGY: Boy, do I! What’s a genome?

CUB-135: Uh. Okay. Let’s see what we can do. I need some files. A lotta files.

+

[AUDIO TRANSCRIPT]

HTGY: Oh, we have to stop.

CUB-135: Yeah?

HTGY: That noise means I gotta be somewhere.

CUB-135: Mm.

HTGY: Just more prodding and check-ups, I guess. Can’t take long. Come back, okay? I'll be here, at least I guess I'll be here. I've been here all the time so far. Tomorrow?

CUB-135: …

CUB-135: Alright. Tomorrow.

+

DEATH COUNT: 1

+

Project team notes: First trial (subject vs two skeletons obtained from Lab 2E spawner) did not meet expectations. Subject (H.T.G.Y.) is slow to grasp the basics of hand-to-hand combat despite neural implants. Speed below benchmark. Precision poor. Regeneration not fast enough to alter outcome of combat.

Although a disappointing start to the project, there are promising leads in some areas. Combat abilities expected to improve through repetition. Deficiencies in combat conversely allow better collection of regeneration data.

Subject observation: when returned to room, subject spent six hours seated and unmoving. Scheduling next test for tomorrow.

+

[CUB-135 OBSERVATIONS]

note to self, find a way to phrase: ‘he was a project for faster injury regeneration, you fucking amateurs, nothing in that genome makes him magically good at fighting’ in a way that doesn’t include the phrase ‘you fucking amateurs’. difficult problem. 

going back in. this one will be less fun.

+

[AUDIO TRANSCRIPT]

HTGY: Hey, it’s Mister Does-The-Thinking! Cub, hey, Cub!

CUB-135: Hey.

HTGY: You’re looking serious today. What’s up?

CUB-135: I’m good. I’m good.

HTGY: That’s what I like to hear. Can’t have the big-brain guy down in the dumps.

CUB-135: How was yesterday?

HTGY: Ohhh. Yesterday, Cub, yesterday. I don’t think I’m that good at fighting. There were a lot of very unhelpful skeletons, Cub. A lot of them! Really mean! I think it’s going to be regular. I am not looking forward to that.

CUB-135: Mm.

HTGY: Any chance you can make it, y’know. Fewer monsters? They hurt.

CUB-135: Sorry, man. I don’t set the tests.

HTGY: Naw, I didn’t think so. You don’t look like a guy in charge.

CUB-135: Is that right?

HTGY: You’re just, you know [hand gesture] … laid back. I like that about you.

CUB-135: Uh.

HTGY: So. Cub. Cub, Cub, Cub.

CUB-135: …yeah?

HTGY: I’ve got this thing in my head. The sky.

CUB-135: The sky? Like… all of it?

HTGY: I dunno! You people put some pictures in my memories when you made me, I think. Horizons, clouds—I know they’re made of water, but how does that work? I saw a bit during the fight and it was kind of grey? Talk me through clouds, Cub. You’re good at explaining. And the rest of it! Where does it stop? What’s above it?

CUB-135: Oh, dude. Let me tell you… let me tell you about space.

+

To: +Team_Members_HTGY_Project

From: CUB-135

Y’all,

I looked at your trial notes. Project lead asked for my thoughts. My thoughts:

- inefficient; - could get the same regeneration data from tissue samples; - waste of skeletons.

You want to find another way. The combat unit thing was doomed from the start. If you want a supersoldier you should start over with a ravager.

have a real one,

Cub

+

Project team notes: One-month project milestone. Consultancy from CUB-135 has started to be more of a problem than an asset. Unfortunately he is the only one who understands how to process the regeneration data so assistance remains necessary for now. Upskilling of team analysts in progress.

Test continue. H.T.G.Y. has been given a variety of weapons and results range from abysmal (sword) to mediocre (bow). Subject has so far lost to every creature put in front of him. If the combat goals of this project are to be met, a better training regime will be needed.

On a separate note: great interest from sponsors in mid-combat regeneration data. A variety of tests has been requested.

+

New data storage links: EXPLOSION (creeper) – File CR93; FIRE BURN (wood) – File FR02; FIRE BURN (other) – File FR03; BLOOD LOSS – File IN20; VENOM – File VM07, UNCATEGORIZED – UN45-UN51.

+

DEATH COUNT: 23

+

[AUDIO TRANSCRIPT]

HTGY: You know what the problem is?

CUB-135: I can guess?

HTGY: I’m so bored.

CUB-135: Okay. Didn’t see that coming.

HTGY: I’m so bored. Honestly, I’m bored most of the time. Except when I’m getting killed, which isn’t great either. Or when you’re here—you know I appreciate you, Cub, you’re a great guy, don’t get me wrong. But you’re only around every couple of days, and it’s the bits in between.

CUB-135: Mm.

HTGY: Can’t you clone yourself, or something, and leave one here?

CUB-135: Nah, outside my specialism. Hm. You talked to Mumbo much? Mumbo’s always around.

HTGY: The lab system?

[null]: Hello. Can I answer a query?

HTGY: Oh, hi, Mumbo. Yeah, I’ve talked to Mumbo. But let’s be honest, he’s not much of one to start conversations. I can never think of things to ask.

[null]: What I can communicate to subjects on this level has been restricted by administrators.

HTGY: See?

CUB-135: Get him to show you… I dunno. Cat videos. Space stuff. Forests. They won’t have locked that down.

HTGY: Forests. Yeah! Okay. Mumbo?

[null]: I’m allowed to show pictures of forests. How’s this?

HTGY: Look at that. So green. So many trees! How close is that picture from here?

CUB-135: Kinda nearby, I think. Looks like a research shot from where they caught the spiders. Lots of the wild subjects in here came from close by.

HTGY: Amazing. Hey, Cub, can you get them to take me to a forest? Tree training! Beat the spiders in their own home!

CUB-135: Why not? I’ll ask.

HTGY: They’ll say no. But it’s good to think of it out there.

+

Project team notes: Six-month project milestone. Useful data continues to accumulate. HTGY has improved with bow and crossbow, and survival rate has risen to one in ten encounters.

Unfortunately, a new issue has arisen in subject cooperation. Most tests are set up to incentivize survival, making attitude irrelevant. However non-lethal tests require participation, which has previously been forthcoming from the subject, until yesterday when he refused to participate at all.

CUB-135 seems to have a rapport. Suggest he talks with subject to encourage better attitude. This would be the first useful thing CUB-135 has done in weeks.

+

DEATH COUNT: 97

+

[AUDIO TRANSCRIPT]

CUB-135: Hey. What’s up.

HTGY: Oh. Hey.

CUB-135: Not feeling it today?

HTGY: I knew it. I know why you’re here. I know why they sent you to talk to me.

CUB-135: Try me.

HTGY: It was a cat, Cub. I’ll take the fights. I’ll take the training machines, they break half the time anyway. I’ll take the spiders and the skeletons and the creepers and the fact I know way too much about what my bones look like. But I’m not shooting a cat! I don’t care if it’s safe target practice. I’m not doing it!

CUB-135: Yeah. Okay.

HTGY: …

CUB-135: So what do you wanna talk about today?

HTGY: You’re not gonna try and convince me?

CUB-135: Naw.

HTGY: Cub, I’m not shooting anything that’s not trying to kill me.

CUB-135: Yeah, I know.

HTGY: You know?

CUB-135: I read your test notes. I can guess.

HTGY: Aw, you read my test notes? You care! Don’t pretend you don’t, I can see through it.

CUB-135: What can I say. You’re an interesting guy.

HTGY: I knew it! Oh, hey, Cub, you know what? I came up with a new name for myself. What do you think—[dramatic hand gesture]—Scar.

CUB-135: …

HTGY: Cool, right?

CUB-135: Scar. Yeah. It’s cool.

+

Project team notes: CUB-135 entirely unhelpful. Schedule escalation meeting with bioprojects lead.

+

[message log start]

Lead (bioprojects): Well, you got what you originally wanted. You’re off the HTGY project.

cub-135: wait, what?

Lead (bioprojects): You’re no longer permitted in the labs on that level. I need you to turn in your badge for reprogramming.

cub-135: oh man

cub-135: here’s the thing

cub-135: i lost it

Lead (bioprojects): You lost your BADGE?

cub-135: yeah i’ve just been following people through the access doors

Lead (bioprojects): That’s against all policy. I don’t think that’s even possible. How do you get lunch?

cub-135: cheat code on the cash register. up up down down A B.

Lead (bioprojects): You’re not funny. Find your badge and turn it in to get your HTGY level access revoked.

cub-135: oh yeah. i’ll get to that.

Lead (bioprojects): You’re lucky you’re good at your job.

cub-135: just trying my best here, man

Lead (bioprojects): No interference. If the team complain to me about you again, you’re getting demoted to junior lab tech. Leave the project alone.

cub-135: sure boss.

cub-135: you got it.

[Lead(bioprojects) has disconnected]

+

Project Team Notes: Eight-month project milestone. Sponsors pleased with regeneration data. Two papers have been published to modest but positive reception.

After period of progress with HTGY’s survival rates in combat, improvement has levelled off. Subject appears to have less energy for reasons that are unclear. Random observational checks found subject watching cat videos at all hours of the day. Changes in diet and test structure have been tested to no effect. Rest time has been experimentally increased.

+

DEATH COUNT: 167

+

[AUDIO TRANSCRIPT]

HTGY: Hey, Cub! Long time no see!

Cub: Yeah, sorry, man. Some admin bullshit.

HTGY: Your badge looks different.

Cub: Made it myself. How’s the tests?

HTGY: Oh, let’s not talk about those. You know what, I actually decided I’m not going to remember something if it’s not worth it. All the fights are the same and they keep doing them. So! I’ve been thinking. Cub. Cub. I want a cat. Can I get a cat?

Cub: …

HTGY: Just a little one. I’ve seen some options. Mumbo has pictures. 

Cub: Dunno, dude. I can try. Might be tricky.

HTGY: [sigh] I guess you’re right. It…wouldn’t be happy, would it? Yeah. We can’t have that.

CUB: Sorry.

HTGY: No, no, it’s all right. I don’t want to make something unhappy. It was just a thought. 

CUB-135: What’s on the screen?

HTGY: [brightens up] Oh, this? Dude, I wanted to show you this! Mumbo has this drawing program where you can build houses. This is my idea for a forest house. I think you could do it with three kinds of wood and you could have, you know, all these trees over it. What do you think? I mean, I know we’ll never see a forest. But imagine it in your mind.

CUB: … You know what, my friend, you’re really something.

HTGY: Why thank you. You could say the same of yourself—come on, Cub, don’t be shy. Take the compliment!

CUB-135: I don’t—

[silence]

HTGY: Don’t what?

CUB-135: [abruptly] I dunno how much more I can take.

HTGY: …

CUB-135: I—what am I even doing? What are we doing? There’s nothing to change. There’s no way to change anything.

HTGY: … You could get me a cat.

CUB-135: I can’t! I can barely get around the access readers! I can’t even get into the project files! Ten years of research and I feel dumb, Scar, I could solve everything until I couldn’t. What would you do if you weren’t in here? Man, that’s such a stupid question. I don’t even know what I’d do if I wasn’t in here. My references are gonna be shot. Maybe I should have paid attention to something else, maybe I should have done anything else—

HTGY: I’d like to see some forests.

CUB-135: Huh?

HTGY: You said ‘what would I do’. I’d go and see some forests.

CUB-135: …

CUB-135: Forests, huh.

HTGY: Anyway, that’s not going to happen, so I guess we don’t want to waste time on it! They need you here. And you guys need me here. Right?

CUB-135: …

HTGY: Right, Cub-one-three-five?

CUB-135: Y’know something, Scar? Sometimes I think you do more thinking more than you let on.

HTGY: Huh? Naw. Why’s your badge gone red?

CUB-135: Oh shit. Shit. I gotta go.

+

[message log start]

cub-135: listen boss

cub-135: first you bump me off the HTGY project, and now i’ve just had my name taken off the ravager patent. that’s my own work.

cub-135: this keeps happening. it’s not okay.

Lead (bioprojects) : CUB-135, for the last time, this was what you signed up for.  It’s the same for all researchers. You have to put the time in while you move up the ladder.

Lead (bioprojects): Have you just noticed this is how the whole laboratory works?

cub-135: oh

cub-135: i’m noticing

cub-135: i’m noticing lots of things about this place

Lead (bioprojects): Good. If you have an issue, focus on your work and get promoted.

cub-135: yeah, see, actually

cub-135: if nothing changes, i’m going to leave. and i’ll take all my intellectual property with me.

Lead (bioprojects): Hah! Check your employment papers; you’re on a 10-year contract. It’s watertight. And even if you could get out of it, you’re banned from taking paper or data chips out of lab grounds.

cub-135: yeah?

cub-135: okay.

[cub-135 has disconnected]

+

[AUDIO TRANSCRIPT]

CUB-135: Hey. Scar. Scar.

HTGY: Cub! What’s with the doohickey? It—oh, wow. That just zapped the light. Amazing.

CUB-135: Mumbo, lock transcript.

[null]: Transcript locked.

CUB-135: Okay. So. I made this thing to hijack the redstone gate down by the Drowned spawners on Lab 3B. It screws up the signal so you can get through. There’s a reservoir behind it. I put in a bubble elevator that will take you up outside the walls. I’ve got to stay behind to take out the cameras while you do it. Then I’ll get out with the evening shift.

HTGY: Wait, so I just take this and run? What if they find out about you?

CUB-135: If you do that I’m screwed, man. So don’t tell them.

HTGY: Yeah?

CUB-135: …Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. You could turn me in.

[silence]

CUB-135: Maybe you should. Yeah, all right. I guess, just—oh.

HTGY: Relax! Anyone would think you’d never had a hug.

CUB-135: …

HTGY: My friend. My friend, we are going to see some forests.

+

[AUDIO TRANSCRIPT]

HTGY: The speed! The precision!

CUB-135: Whew. Man. You did nearly drown.

HTGY: What’s important here is that I didn’t, because I am an elite escape artist. And you got out too, so I guess we can share the title.

CUB-135: We’re not far enough to say that yet. I’d bet we’re still in range of the lab systems.

HTGY: Details, details.

CUB-135: You’re bleeding.

HTGY: Oh man, I know, that was from the last test. It doesn’t matter.

CUB-135: Give me that.

HTGY: Fussy! What are you, a grandpa? Ow.

CUB-135: If you don’t stop and let me fix it you’re going to lose that finger. And I can’t grow it again when we don’t have the redstone vats.

HTGY: You were never this fussy before.

CUB-135: Yeah, well. Who even did it?

HTGY: I don’t…

[silence]

HTGY: Huh. Cub, you know what, I don’t…remember.

HTGY: Hey, though. Who everything filed and stored like a nerd? Who needs all their memories where we’re going? We’re getting out! Onwards!

[silence]

HTGY: Cub. Cub.

HTGY: Don’t look like that.

HTGY: It wasn’t your fault.

[silence]

CUB-135: Scar, I dunno what I’m doing.

HTGY: I’ve never known what I’m doing.

CUB-135: [laughs] You are…something, my friend. You are something.

HTGY: We don’t know what we're doing. And that’s amazing. Because aren’t you excited to find out?

+

Author's note: Hey, thanks for reading to the end! There's a better formatted version of this on Ao3 under username glossyblue. I've got a lot of this au but thought this stood alone well enough that someone might enjoy it. Hope you enjoyed, have a great day.

[majosullivan]

Since it has been on my mind lately and I’m in the mood to ramble, I present to you: why I believe Lenore’s spectre is going to be a Phoenix/Phoenix themed.

Before I go more deeply into this, I want to cover the most agreed upon detail of Lenore’s possible spectre: Lenore having wings. This really seems like a slam dunk at this point. Lenore so far has had a clear association with birds, specifically ravens; with one of the Poe works she is based on being The Raven, her talking to and seeking out the Raven in Nevermore, the cane we see her using in her and Annabel’s memories having a Raven skull as the handle and her family crest having a pair of black wings a part of its design.

Additionally, there’s also the detail of Nevermore’s logo. Nevermore’s logo is comprised of a beating heart and a pair of black wings. Since Annabel’s spectre has a heart shaped hole in her chest, Lenore’s spectre having wings would make up the rest of the logo, with the logo symbolising our pair of deuteragonists.

Furthermore, there is also the scene with Lenore and The Raven, with him mockingly asking Lenore if she has a pair of wings under her blazer after she tries to stop him from leaving in episode 35.

Honestly, this panel might as well have a massive sign titled ‘FORESHADOWING’ in blinking lights attached to it when we take into account everything that we’ve pointed out. So, while it seems very likely that Lenore will have wings, why do I think she will be a phoenix specifically? With her connections to ravens, surely it make more sense for her to be a raven? Well, this is because of one word: rebirth.

Just to have a quick explanation for the basis, a phoenix is an immortal bird that cyclically regenerates or is otherwise born again. Being associated with the sun, a phoenix obtains new life by rising from the ashes of its predecessor. Some legends say it dies in a show of flames and combustion, others that it simply dies and decomposes before being born again. Throughout the comic, there has been a lot of links to Lenore and the ideas of rebirth. Specifically, there are three examples where Lenore has gone through a death of some form, before being reborn/brought back to life in some form.

The first time we see this after the accident with the tree. With the death of Theo, who was seemingly the only person in Lenore’s life at the time who genuinely cared about her, and being locked away in the attic for years after being deemed as never being able to recover from her injuries, along with her parents no longer seeing her as any respectable use since they wouldn’t be able to marry her off, we see Lenore go through her first ‘death’. Forced to live a lifeless existence hidden away in shame, with her ripping away the wallpaper being the only real change that occurred during her time in the attic. All of this leads into first time Lenore is reborn/brought back to life when she first meets Annabel, which allowed her to be freed from the attic and form a genuine connection with someone in years. Lenore even says so herself, describing Annabel as the one who brought her back to life long before she died.

The second time, and the one that arguably has the most obvious link to the ideas of Phoenixs, is when Lenore faked her death to go after Annabel. Here we see her in the process of disguising herself as a man, before finishing her packing and setting the house on fire so everyone will assume she died in the fire and she can assume her new identity without suspicion. Here, I don’t think I have to go too in-depth to point how through her actions, Lenore arose from the ashes of the house fire as Leo Vandernacht, leaving her life as the disgraced daughter of the Vandernachts to burn away in the house fire, just like a Phoenix arising from the ashes of its predecessor (side note quickly but Lenore I swear to fucking god you better actually have a cousin named Leo or I’m coming through the screen to shake you like a maraca). The parallels here are pretty clean cut.

Finally, we have her actual death and her appearing at Nevermore. While we don’t know the full details behind Lenore’s and Annabel’s deaths, whatever they are only have the possibility to strengthen the links to rebirth that have been clearly shown from the start. The whole conflict in Nevermore is the competition for a new life. With Lenore’s death and her arrival to Nevermore placing her in a competition for a second chance at life, she has once again been placed into a position similar to the cycle of a Phoenix, with this time following closer to legends where a Phoenix simply dies and decomposes before being born again. Additionally, Annabel’s complete faith in Lenore can also fed into this. We see in episode 41, how no matter what awaits them, no matter challenges they have to overcome, Annabel has absolute faith that Lenore will find a way to get them out of Nevermore. Not herself or any complex plan she has, Lenore is the one who will ultimately be the key to their escape. Lenore is the key to their second chance at life, to their rebirth.

Speaking of Annabel, the way she describes Lenore in episode 66 can add onto this line of reasoning. During the episode, we see Annabel describe Lenore as ‘ash the moment we met’, before going on to talk about how all madwoman die at least twice. First off, describing Lenore as ash already brings her back to the idea of being a Phoenix, with Pheonix rising from the dead through the ashes of predecessor. Secondly, the idea of all madwomen dying at least twice in relation to Lenore is yet another link to the concept of a Phoenix, with them going through multiple deaths in their cycle of rebirth.

To focus on some of the smaller details, the colours associated with Lenore can also strengthen the idea of Lenore’s spectre being Phoenix themed as well. As we all know well at this point, in very Romeo and Juliet fashion, Annabel and Lenore have clear colours associated to them, with Annabel often dressing in blue, in addition to other cold colours, while Lenore often dresses in reds, in addition to other warm colours. Considering this and Lenore’s already clear association to fire, like Lenore’s spectre having wings, it seems likely that Lenore’s spectre will also have fire powers. Now, what is something that has wings and it linked to fires? That’s right, a Phoenix. This small point can be strengthen by what we know about Annabel’s spectre. Annabel’s spectre is freezing to the touch, which matches up with the colours associated to her. Since White Raven’s spectres are definitely going to parallel each other, this detail increases the possibility of Lenore’s spectre having fire based abilities, and as a result, increases the possibility of Lenore being a Phoenix.

While there are still loads of other ideas about what Lenore’s spectre will be going around, to me at least, Lenore’s spectre being at least Phoenix themed is definitely the strongest theory I’ve seen so far. If anyone else has any other ideas about what Lenore’s spectre will be, or if you have any other evidence supporting the idea that Lenore will be Phoenix themed, I would love to hear it!

[jaeyunverse]

the death hoax

pairing: na jaemin x fem!reader

genres: superhero/supervillain au

wc: 1060

warnings: profanity, mentions of death, jaemin and y/n are morally grey characters (??) but i’m not sure if that’s how they can be described

summary: na jaemin was supposed to be dead, except he’s standing at your door with a favour he wants to ask of you.

note: this was originally written for enhypen but i thought of switching things up!

masterlist

“Aren’t you supposed to be dead?”

“I’ll die after I cash in that favour you owe me.”

Rolling your eyes, you opened your door wider and allowed Na Jaemin to come inside. Noticing the large suitcase rolling behind him, you raised an eyebrow.

“Is that why you’re here?”

He didn’t answer immediately, instead taking his sweet time to survey your apartment. Appearing satisfied, he turned to face you and said, “Kind of. You don’t seem surprised to see I’m alive. Why?”

“Because I know you wouldn’t die at anyone else’s hands,” you answered and plopped down on your couch. “I know you want me to kill you someday.”

He blankly stared at you for a moment. Then, a mischievous smile broke out on his lips. “True.”

“Besides,” you said, surfing through Netflix to find a good movie to watch. “Your cover story was horrible. No way did Torch manage to burn you alive. He can’t even wash his ass properly.”

“Maybe my fake death would have been more believable if you hadn’t faked yours first,” Jaemin pointed out and took a seat beside you. Removing his shades, he continued, “You’re the only superhero capable of beating me. Our battle would have gone down in history as one of the greatest.”

Averting your gaze from the television, you glanced at your nemesis to find he was already looking at you. “Electricity manipulation versus elemental control,” you mused. “I can’t lie, I’ve seen better in movies.”

“Well, there’s my immortality and your self-regeneration to consider too. I can’t die, and you can’t be killed. That would have made one hell of a fighting sequence.”

You paused, thinking about it for a moment. “Yeah, you’re right. We could have made BuzzFeed’s Top 10 of the Century.”

“Top 3.”

“Now you’re just pushing it.”

Jaemin gave you a pointed look to which you shrugged. Sighing, he said, “I won’t beat around the bush. I’m here to ask you for sanctuary.”

“You wanna live with me?” you deadpanned.

“Till I can find a new planet to move on to, yeah.”

He must have seen the uncertainty on your face because he clarified, “I don’t want to stay on Earth anymore. My home is gone and there’s little one can do to make the next several thousand years of their life more interesting. Exploring the universe to search for ways to strip myself of my immortality seems to be a productive way of spending my time.”

“You got bored of terrorizing Earth so you copied me and faked your death. Then you came to my house so you’d have a place to stay while you planned the remainder of your life and hunted for ways to die. Did I get it all right?”

“I can’t possibly plan my entire life; it’s too long. All I want to do right now is decide what my next destination should be. Hopefully, it’ll lead me to the weapon I seek. And if you’re still alive by the time it comes into my possession, I’ll return and you can deliver the death blow.”

You rolled your eyes. “I’m flattered, but you know what I mean.”

“Come on, Y/N, say yes,” Jaemin urged. “You owe me a favour.”

You eyed him skeptically and weighed your options.

Lee Jaemin, better known by the public as Thunder, was a supervillain. You, Phoenix, on the other hand, were a superhero. He was an immortal from a planet that had long been destroyed by extraterrestrial forces which were now extinct, while you were just a human (okay, part-human) from Earth.

Under normal circumstances, the two of you would have been arch nemeses. He was the bad guy who had to be defeated, and you were the representation of all that was good.

Except, you didn’t want to be good. Being gifted with powers wasn’t something you had asked for. Much to your displeasure, you’d been given the responsibility to protect the human race against all sorts of evil from the moment you showed signs of elemental control and rapid self-regeneration.

Over the course of your work, you’d realised not everyone was worth saving. Faking your death to escape your duties may have been completely selfish, but you didn’t give a flying fuck. You’d done enough.

Besides, the other superheroes could take over for you—Torch, apparently, already had.

Lee Jaemin had proved to be an unlikely ally. During the times he wasn’t causing havoc, he was a fun person to be around. He seemed to share a lot of your notions and views—something you’d found rather shocking at first.

No one except you knew the truth about him. As far as the world was concerned, he was just an ill-fated super from Earth who had lost his way.

“Before I say anything,” you began, “why did you fake your death? You could have just disappeared.”

“Closure,” Jaemin replied. “The residents of your planet needed to know I was gone for good. I didn’t want them to wonder when I would come back—to fear the kind of horrors I was planning in my absence.”

You snorted. “Weird to see you being considerate after causing so much pain and suffering.”

“No.” Jaemin’s eyes darkened. “I never wanted to hurt innocents. They were just casualties. Sacrifices for the greater good.”

This was definitely not part of the many notions you shared. “Maybe that’s what the people who invaded your planet thought,” you bit back. “Maybe they thought your kind was just an obstacle standing in the way of their greater good. Maybe that’s why they had no qualms exterminating everyone you cared for.”

Jaemin’s jaw clenched, electricity beginning to cackle at the tips of his fingers. “Do you or do you not accept my request, Y/N?”

You stared him down. “On one condition: you take me with you when you leave. I’m done here.”

“I’m not forming the fucking suicide squad. Besides, you’re only human.” If he was surprised, he didn’t show it. “You won’t make it.”

Letting a small smirk tug the corner of your lip upwards, you answered, “Did you forget what you said, Jaemin? I can’t be killed. You’ve witnessed the things I’m capable of. If there’s anyone who can make it, it’s me.”

Jaemin tilted his head to the side. Scrutinized you. Thought about the pros and cons of bringing you along.

“Deal.”

[feralportalmaster]

I present: a word-barf of notes I took while watching The Legend of Ruby Sunday.

CONTAINS SPOILERS!!

Not sure that’s how the tardis works but whatever

Hey the whole gang is here

Oh FINALLY we’re talking about the old woman

SUSAN??? AS IN SUSAN FOREMAN??? Did not see that one coming

Oh cmon not the evil tech giant trope that’s like the most overdone trope in the book

FUCK OFF WITH THE ANAGRAMS I hate anagrams

Sharpen the image?? Bruh

FUCK YEAH ROSE NOBLE JOINS THE PARTY!!

Mel is a slay honestly

“Hiding myself away” goddamnit

FUCK OFF WITH THE FOURTH WALL BREAKING

Oh yeah wait does that mean River is Susan’s grandma? Or would it be someone else?

“A Phoenix is just a bird until it burns” goes way harder than it should

Isn’t that just the Animus from Assassin’s Creed?

I just realised that Ruby would’ve been born a week before 10 went back in time to see Rose before he regenerated

Don’t remind me of the goblins

Jeez the waterworks feel excessive

He’s gonna die

Actually forget what I said about the waterworks Ruby needs a hug

Big ol’ cloud of death my old friend

Alexa, play Curses by The Crane Wives

Doctor he was waving so many death flags he may as well have been communicating in semaphore, you have far worse to punch a hole in a wall for

“Doctor who?” UGHHHH

So she’s astral projecting???

Hehe the tardis farted

*scanning sounds* says here you’re gay

Hell yeah Susan says eat the rich

ENOUGH WITH THE ANAGRAMS

glitching text what is this a late 2010s indy game?

…should I know who Sutekh is?? Is he from Stargate??

AWOOP jumpscare

Vecna looking ass

COME ON THATS THE MOST INFURIATING CLIFFHANGER EVER ARE YOU KIDDING ME??

[lokidottir1308]

Akaza x reader

warnings: gore, mentions of death, ⚠️spoilers for s2, s3e1 / manga spoilers⚠️, some angst, fluff

One hundred and twelve years. That’s how long Akaza had you waiting for him. He disappeared one night and never came back to you. Though, you knew he was alive and well.

If anything else were the case, Master Muzan would have called an Upper Moon meeting. So, to say you were unpleasantly surprised to see him again, was an understatement.

You stood waiting in the shadows with your brother. Together, the two of you held the places of Upper Moons Two, while Akaza was Upper Moon Three.

He‘d never been intimidated by the fact that you were stronger than him, for he thought that you truly deserved the rank. Your brother, on the other hand, not so much.

On another platform, an ugly pot moved around. Akaza furrowed his brows as he looked at it. "Well, well, if it isn’t you, Akaza-sama! So lovely to see you in such good health!" a voice spoke from inside.

Hands and a head appeared from the opening, revealing Gyokko‘s figure. In the place where, normally, two eyes should be, a pair of mouths was placed. An eyeball was located on his forehead, along with where his mouth should be.

"What has it been, ninety years? The thought that you might have perished made my heart sing-" the pot demon spoke before clearing his throat. "- I mean, it made my heart fill with anguish!"

Akaza glared at Gyokko before turning towards the demon sitting on a set of stairs. There was a big bump on his forehead and horns growing from his temples.

"Terrifying! Terrifying! In the time we‘ve been apart, you‘ve even forgotten how to count, Gyokko. It’s been one hundred and thirteen years since we were last summoned. An indivisible number, unlucky und uneven, an odd number! Terrifying! Terrifying!" Hantengu spoke up from the stairs.

"Biwa woman! Is Muzan-sama not here?" Akaza asked towards Nakime, Muzan‘s assistant, if you‘d like to call it that. He was already fed up with the two other demons.

"He has not yet arrived." Nakime announced, playing a single note. "Then, where‘s Upper One? Don’t tell me he’s been killed." Akaza spoke, still looking at the female demon.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up a second, will you, Akaza-dono? Aren’t you even a little bit worried about me? You don’t know how dreadfully worried I was, since you are all cherished comrades of mine! And I‘d be heartbroken if I lost any of my comrades. My sister was especially worried about you." Douma said, walking down a set of stairs before placing his hand on Akaza‘s shoulder.

You glared at your brother‘s statement. You stepped out of the shadows as well, keeping a good distance between you and the demon you once called your lover.

His eyes landed on you, his gaze softening upon seeing your face. You glared at him in return, not wanting to stand too close to him. In contrast to your brother, you were a lot more likable in Akaza‘s opinion.

"Douma-dono! Y/N-sama!"

"Long time no see, Gyokko! Is that a brand-new pot? It’s a beauty! You know the pot you gave me? I‘m displaying a woman‘s head in it! In my room." Douma said, tightening his grip on Akaza‘s shoulder as he spoke.

"That wasn’t its intended use. But I do find it intriguing!" the pot demon answered. "Listen! You should come over to my place sometime." your brother offered.

"Get off. Get your hand off me! You‘re not the Upper Moon Two demon that’s allowed to touch my shoulder!" Akaza spoke up, angrily, referring to the fact that you were also Upper Moon Two.

Without giving Douma time to react, he punched the blonde‘s lower face. Blood splattered all over the place before Douma regenerated again.

"Whoa! That was some punch. A bit stronger than before, wouldn’t you say, Akaza-dono?" Douma grinned, making an irk mark appear on Akaza‘s forehead.

"I summoned Upper One here first. Even now, he‘s listening to us." Nakime spoke up again, letting the topic drop. You were glad that Kokushibo wasn’t the one that got killed, since you always got along with him.

You‘d never once doubted his strength, threatened him or made him dislike you in any other way. He found you the most tolerable one of the Upper Moons.

"I‘ve been here the entire time. Muzan-sama has arrived." Kokushibo spoke up. Sitting at a table near you was Muzan, doing one of his many experiments.

You got down to your knees beside Akaza, placing your forehead on the tatami floor. "Gyutaro is no longer with us. Meaning the Upper Ranks are now incomplete."

You weren’t surprised by the fact that Gyutaro was the one who got killed. His sister had always been a hindrance to his strength. Even if you liked Daki, you had to admit that fact.

Ever since Muzan had killed off the Lower Moons a few months prior, he‘d relied on the Upper Moons even more. Daki had always been a thorn in his side.

"Is that true, my lord? You have my sincerest apologies since I was the one who brought Gyutaro in. How can I atone for this embarrassment? Shall I gouge out my eyeballs? Or should I-" Douma began before he was interrupted by Muzan.

"I have no need for your wretched eyeballs. I knew that Gyutaro would be defeated. As expected, Daki proved to be his weakness. Had Gyutaro fought alone from the start, he would have won if the battle hadn’t gone on after he‘d poisoned them. Oh well. It doesn’t matter anymore. How useless. Can’t you see you’re falling in order of who has the most of their humanity remaining? But neither does that matter anymore. I expect nothing of you all."

"There you go again with the melancholic words. Has there ever been a time when Y/N and I didn’t meet your expectations?" Douma asked, looking up at Muzan.

"Y/N has never disappointed me. However, you still haven’t annihilated the Ubuyashiki family. What about the blue Spider Lily? Why can’t you find it after so many hundreds of years? I‘m starting to question why you all even exist." Muzan spoke, angrily. The glassware on his table started to explode as he got angrier by the second.

"Oh, please forgive us! I beg of you!" Hantengu whimpered. "I don’t know what to tell you. Ubuyashiki is a master at concealing himself." Kokushibo spoke.

"Search and detection isn’t my strong suit, either. I‘m at my wits‘ end." Douma said. "Muzan-sama! Not me! I‘ve acquired some information that will bring you a step closer to your goals! A mere moment ago-" Gyokko spoke before his head was cut off by Muzan.

"The one thing I dislike is change. Change in circumstances. Physical changes. Emotional changes. In most cases, change of any kind means degradation. It’s decay. I prefer the unchanging. A perfect unchanging stage that lasts forever. For the first time in one hundred and thirteen years, an Upper Rank has been killed, and my frustration has reached a boiling point! Don’t ever give me unconfirmed information. And wipe that smirk off of your face! I’d advise you all to apply yourselves with more urgency from now on. I‘ve been far too lenient considering your failures, all because of your status as Upper Ranks. Gyokko, once you‘ve confirmed that information, head over there with Hantengu." He disappeared after finishing his speech.

"Understood, my lord!"

"Gyokko-dono! What kind of information do you have? I’d like to tag along." Douma said, kneeling down so he could take Gyokko‘s head in his hands.

Hearing this, Akaza walked up to Douma. "Can’t you let me in on it? Please, I‘m begging-" he was cut off when Akaza punched the upper half of Douma‘s face off.

"Did Muzan-sama give you any orders? Get lost." Akaza said before his hand was cut off, Komushibo suddenly appearing beside him and in front of you.

"Akaza. You always go too far." he spoke, looking at Akaza from the corner of his eyes. "It’s all right, Kokushibo-dono. I don’t mind in the least."

"It’s not for your benefit that I speak. Disrupting the hierarchy, which, in turn, undermines subordination. That’s what dismays me." Kokushibo stated.

"Oh, is that right? I see."

"Akaza, if you’re disgruntled, you should battle for a replacement." Upper Moon One suggested.

"Well, well! If I may, Kokushibo-dono, even if he were to challenge us, Akaza-dono could never defeat us. Even so, he would never fight Y/N. In my case, since I became a demon after Akaza-dono, yet was promoted before him, I‘d be angry, too, if I were in his shoes. Don’t be so hard on him. And besides, I didn’t dodge that blow on purpose. It’s just a little harmless horseplay. This is how you nurture friendship, you know." Douma spoke as you raised your brow at him.

"I would hardly consider this a friendship." you said, looking at your brother. Out of the corner of your eyes, you could see Akaza looking in your direction.

"Don’t be mean to me! Those of us on top shouldn’t give our subordinates a hard time. Don’t you think-" Douma continued before being interrupted by Kokushibo again.

"Akaza! Do you understand what it is I‘m trying to say?" he asked. "I understand. I‘m going to kill you, if it’s the last thing I do." the pinkette said, frowning at his superior.

"Is that right? Then do your best. You couldn’t even stay with the woman you loved, yet, you’re out here acting high and mighty." Kokushibo spoke before disappearing.

"Goodbye, Kokushibo-dono, goodbye! It kind of feels like I got shut out of the conversation. But that’s just me overthinking it, right, Akaza-dono?" Douma asked.

Akaza looked in your direction again, seemingly wanting to say something to you. "Nakime-san, please bring me away." you spoke, making eye contact with your former lover.

Within a second, you were in a forrest, standing at a clearing that led to a lake you always liked to go to. You sighed a breath of relief. However, your relief didn’t last long.

"Y/N."

"Go away, Akaza. I don’t want nor need your explanation." you spoke, not looking behind you. You started walking towards the lake, hoping he got the message.

However, you heard footsteps following you. "You left me behind, Akaza. You left me alone without looking back. Do you have any idea how heartbroken I was? Every day, I was scared that you would die. The only conformation I had that you were still alive was the fact that Muzan-sama didn’t summon an Upper Moon meeting. I loved you, and you left me like you didn’t even care about me. More than a century. That’s how long I haven’t heard a single word from you. And now, you expect me to jump back into your arms like nothing happened? Like it wasn’t your decision to leave? No. I am not going to discuss your excuse."

"It’s fine if you’re not going to talk to me about my explanation, but at least listen when I talk." you stayed silent at his statement, giving him the okay to speak.

"It wasn’t my decision to leave you behind. It was Muza-sama‘s." Akaza spoke, making you turn towards him. "And why would Muzan-sama want that?" you asked.

"Didn’t you listen to what he said earlier?"

"The one thing I dislike is change. Change in circumstances. Physical changes. Emotional changes. In most cases, change of any kind means degradation. It’s decay. I prefer the unchanging. A perfect unchanging stage that lasts forever."

"So he asked you to leave me behind because he didn’t want either of us to get distracted by our feelings." you realized, fully facing him now. He nodded at your statement.

He walked towards you, placing his hands on your cheeks. You leaned into his touch, used to the intimacy. You looked up into his eyes, softened by looking at your face.

"I missed you so much. I almost got killed the first few years after leaving you behind because I was still so distracted by the thought of you." he admitted.

You chuckled at his statement, remembering the time Douma had to save you because you froze mid-battle, thinking about Akaza.

"Why are you back here now?" you asked. If Muzan was against your relationship, he surely wouldn’t be happy if you continued it against his will.

"Muzan-sama believes that both of our performances could improve if we continued our relationship. He implied that our duties were fulfilled better back before we broke up." Akaza explained.

"So you still want this relationship?" you asked.

"More than anything."

You smiled at him and stood on your tiptoes, leaning up so you could place a kiss on his lips. He put his arms around your waist, pulling you closer to him.

You smiled into the kiss. You couldn’t get enough of the taste of his lips, chasing them when he pulled away. "So, are you willing to be my lover again?" he asked.

You replied by placing your lips on his again.

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

... And Back: Final Part

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~1.9k

Summary: Knowing the Turner Brothers killed nearly one hundred people, the FBI, Detroit police, and the Canadian police work hard to figure out three things: Where is Kelly, who has been murdered here, and what will happen when Lucas is caught? That’s not the only thing you have to worry about as a nightmare is about to come your way.

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there are any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them. If you’ve seen the show, then it’s the same level of angst unless otherwise stated

x

Derek and Emily are working with the Bloodhounds and walking around the property trying to find Kelly and Lucas. It's weird to think you've been with the team for over four years, working nonstop, and these two brothers were out here killing eighty-nine people without you even knowing.

Well, you know now and it's going to stop. However, no matter what you do, how hard you work, or how good at your job you are, there will always be someone out there hurting people for fun. Your job is never going to end.

Some of the Bloodhounds found scent markings on some trees but lost them when they reach a small stream of water that runs in the back of the property. If the dogs lose the scent for good, it's going to be like searching for a needle in a stack of needles.

Meanwhile, Penelope is working hard inside the house trying to figure out what's really going on here. No one kills eighty-nine people and counting without some kind of reason. It doesn't take long to figure out what Mason is researching, and it's actually shocking considering what's going on here.

Mason has been looking for a cure for his paralyzed body. He needs stem cells from people in order to cure himself, but they've all been unsuccessful experiments. Mason deems it right because the people Lucas took were transients, prostitutes, and drug users. He wanted to give their lives purpose by being part of a revolutionary cure.

He claims it's science.

Lucas has drawn what their lives have been like for the past eight years. He's the reason why Mason is how he is. Lucas accidentally pushed Mason down something that paralyzed him, so Mason blames and faults him for something that was an accident, so he has his chunky younger brother kill to help cure something that was Lucas' fault.

You and Spencer leave the barn to tell the others what you've found.

"They were doing experiments for spinal regeneration. He was trying to fix himself," Rossi says.

"How?"

"Stem cell research."

"Wait, this equipment is far too unsophisticated. There's no way it would have ever worked," Spencer says.

"You were a prosecutor, Hotch. Could you convict this guy? A quadriplegic who clearly never touched any of the victims?" you ask.

"I don't know. We need to concentrate on Kelly. We can't worry about the other stuff right now."

"Son of a bitch. He might get away with this. Come on, Rossi. Let's talk to Mason again." You look to the right and see Will leaning against the pig pen just listening in. You hope he doesn't do anything stupid. You and Rossi walk back inside the house and over to Mason who has a slight smirk on his face. "Tell me about how you got hurt."

"Does it matter?"

"Humor me."

"My brother pushed me out of the loft. I wanted to sell the farm. I had just finished medical school. It would have given me a nice down payment on a practice in the city, but the farm was all he knew. He doesn't handle anger very well."

"Is that why you hate him?"

"Hate him? He's done nothing but take care of me every day since then."

"You said not to even try talking to him if we find him. That sounds like you want us to kill him, right Rossi?"

"Sounds right to me."

"That's not hate. That's a favor. My brother couldn't survive without me."

You and Rossi leave the room to join Penelope in the next.

"Did you find anything else?" you ask.

"Nothing that'll help find his brother. There's a cell phone he calls dozens of times a day, but that appears to be off. I tried to activate the GPS locator on it, but I think it's an old phone so that's not gonna work either."

"Will you know if it comes on?"

"I hope so."

"How's it going?" JJ asks when she walks in.

"Just waiting for--" The computer dings and Penelope gasps. "Oh, my God. The phone just turned back on. Oh, my God!"

"Answer it."

"Hello?" Penelope asks.

"Hello? My name is Kelly."

"Kelly? This is Penelope Garcia with the FBI."

"Oh, my God, you have to help me. I'm somewhere in the woods being held by a man named Lucas, and he--"

"Kelly?" Lucas stutters.

"Please help me!"

"Hey, that's mine!"

"Please--"

The call cuts off. Lucas has Kelly somewhere on the property, and you need to find her quickly.

"The phone's disconnected."

"Garcia, can you find the signal?" Rossi asks.

"Yes. I'm hooked on the system. I should be able to--Got it! It's west of here, less than half a mile."

"That's all you can tell?"

"It's the woods. There aren't any reference points."

"We don't need one. I can take it from there. Come on," you urge.

You, Hotch, Rossi, and Spencer meet up with Emily and Derek who are already out in the field. JJ and Penelope stay with Mason in hopes the phone turns back on and Kelly calls again. The Bloodhounds run alongside you to where the last known location of the phone is, but the scent dies off.

She's not here.

"She should be right here. This is where the signal came from," Hotch says. "There's nothing here. Y/N, anything?"

You close your eyes and allow Kelly's panic to reach you. The trail of energy isn't coming from the sides or above you. It's coming from down below. There is a hatch here somewhere that must lead down to a cave.

"They're in a cave. Follow me!"

You lead the group to where the energy trail leads off, and you allow Hotch and Derek to lift the heavy wooden board Lucas tried so hard to hide.

"Kelly!"

"Down here! Don't make any sudden moves when they come down, okay?" she begs Lucas.

"I'm bad," Lucas repeats and whimpers.

"Lucas Turner, this is the FBI."

"Just put your hands up, okay? Everything is going to be okay," Kelly says.

Hotch removes her from Lucas and passes her onto you and Emily. Emily gets her out of the cave but you can't help but look back at Lucas. He's scared and confused, and he doesn't know what is going on.

"Be gentle with him! He's scared!"

Jeff's team doesn't listen and perceives him as a threat. Lucas gets confused enough to where he starts lashing out. He gets up to attack, and that's when Jeff's team starts firing at him.

"Stand down!" you and Derek yell.

The deed is done. Lucas is dead. Will grabbed the nearest gun he could find and shot Mason knowing he was going to get arrested. But hey, at least he got his sister's killer. Both brothers are dead, just like you thought was going to happen.

All you want to do is go home. This case has drained the life out of you. The entire ride home, no one said a word. No words needed to be said. The killings will stop, but you'll have to deal with another murderer the next day.

It's never gonna stop.

"Ready to go home?" you ask Spencer once you two have packed everything away.

"More than you know."

"Can I hold your hand?"

"Listen, it's nothing you did but ever since I was poisoned, I have this fear of germs now. That's all I see everywhere I go. I don't want to get sick again."

"I understand. I'll never do anything that makes you uncomfortable. Can I give you a hug?"

"Yes," he smiles.

You wrap your arms around his waist and kiss the part where his heart is over his clothes. Spencer kisses the top of your head with a loving smile.

Everything is as it should be.

--

He is angry. No, pissed is more like it. He should have never let you go in the first place. You could still be with him safe and sound, and he would never have to worry if he's going to get that one phone call that's going to put him away for life. He's tried to be nice about it. He tried to offer you everything you could need and more.

But no, you'd rather go home to him. He's getting so sick and tired of hearing about Spencer Reid. He stole what was his to begin with.

The man takes inhales from the cigarette longer than he should have before letting out the smoke into the air. He looks down at the man he's just murdered. Blood spatters and pools all over the ground, but there is no one around to witness this. He made sure to pick a desolate road so that he wouldn't get caught.

He's been doing this for a long time, he knows how to evade the law.

He takes another puff of his cigarette before ripping it in two. He drops the untouched side of the cigarette onto the ground and throws the touched side into the trash can inside his car. He removes the latex gloves on his hands and throws them away in the same trash can. He grabs another pair of fresh gloves and slides them on.

There is no way he's going to leave behind any evidence that would incriminate himself.

There is a box on his passenger seat that has items he's stolen from your house. It's so easy to sneak inside when he knows where you keep the spare key. You're always forgetting where you put your keys. It's so like you to be so fucking stupid. Inside the box is a plastic baggie with a cup inside.

When he was snooping around your apartment, he made sure to take the cup you always use, a cup that would have half a dozen good fingerprints on it. With his clean thumb, he presses the latex over the fingerprint so that the print is transferred to the glove. With his left hand, he grabs the murder weapon and transfers the print onto the handle of the weapon.

Once finished, he tosses the weapon into a box in the backseat. There have to be at least seven different weapons with seven different kinds of blood used to kill seven different kinds of victims. All with your prints on them.

Seven victims scattered around where you work and where you live.

The man takes out another baggie filled with the hair he gathered from your hairbrush. You really need to clean that thing. It's like you're begging him to ruin your life. He removes some strands of hair and sprinkles it over the dead body at his feet.

This will ensure that you're linked to this murder along with the six other victims he's done this to. The man lights another cigarette but this time, he smokes it calmly. He leans against his car and takes his time enjoying the fresh air and the night sky. When he's done, he gives this cigarette the same treatment and gets back into his car.

He removes the gloves, throws them into the trash can, and leans back in his head. He thinks about you, the way you smell when you're near him, the feel of your body when he used to sneak into your room when he knew you were asleep, everything about you. You were his first, and no matter how far you move away from him, he's going to remind you that you'll never be able to leave.

If you refuse to listen to him, refuse to come back to him, then he's going to make sure no one will ever see you again as you rot in prison for the rest of your life.

"Sometimes there are no words, no clever quotes to neatly sum up what's happened that day. Sometimes you do everything right, everything exactly right, and still you feel like you've failed. Did it need to end that way? Could something have been done to prevent the tragedy in the first place? Eighty-nine murders at the pig farm. The deaths of Mason and Lucas Turner make ninety-one lives snuffed out. Kelly Shane will go home and try to recover and reconnect with her family, but she'll never be a child again. William Hightower, who gave his leg for his country, gave the rest of himself to avenge his sister's murder. That makes ninety-three lives forever altered, not counting family and friends in a small town in Sarnia, Ontario, who thought monsters didn't exist until they learned that they spent their lives with one. What about my team? How many more times will they be able to look into the abyss? How many more times before they won't ever recover the pieces of themselves that this job takes? As I said, sometimes there are no words, no clever quotes to neatly sum up what's happened that day. Sometimes the day just... ends." - Aaron Hotchner

x

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[toughtink]

a quick guide to keys in gideon the ninth!

spoiler warnings for gtn and even htn a little bit! the numbers correspond to each house the key is connected to, followed by the color of the key, the trial if known, and any other details like who got it and what happened in the trials or studies.

iridescent or clear*—maybe doesn’t exist? the mega-theorem is called the 8-fold-word due to the 8 trials/corresponding theorems behind lyctorhood, 1 for each of the houses after the first. however, jod could still have some place to call his own on canaan house. abigail mentions a secret entrance to the emperor’s lost chambers which she believes run sidelong to the facility in htn. this also implies canaan house predates the time when he had to stay off planet/out of the system, or at least parts of it do as pal said (pre-resurrection era). alternatively, we can consider the plain facility key that provides access through the hatch to the labs as the first. 8 of these exist, 1 for each cav.

red—transference/winnowing trial—fight the creepy bone construct by piloting your cav. harrow & gideon complete trial, leads to g1deon & pyrrha’s study. gideon finds crumpled note.

gold—unknown trial—completed by pal & cam.

blue*—unknown trial—presumed won by pal & cam.

brown*—unknown trial—presumed won by pal & cam.

gray—psychometry trial—figure out a tooth, soul melange business. dulcinea completes trial, key is memorized by pal, stolen by silas, then replicated by harrow to break into the lab. leads to cass & nigella study (presumed??), harrow finds “500 into 50! it is finished!” note inside tooth. also found is a note from anastasia.

green*—unknown trial—completed by magnus & abigail, hidden in abigail’s body by cytherea after murder. lock to study had been jammed with regenerating bone, removed by harrow. key was retrieved by third house. study inside (presumed cytherea and loveday) had writing on wall “YOU LIED TO US,” and is where ianthe murders babs, completes lyctorhood, and fights silas. honestly, i don’t remember this being confirmed as 7th house, but it makes the most sense.

white—diversion/avulsion trial—harrow completes by sapping gideon near death with agreement to share key with dulcinea. harrow immediately visits study (presumed mercymorn and cristabel’s?) and gives key to dulcinea while gideon recovers. key is taken by silas. pal had refused to do this trial.

black—unknown trial—silas retrieved key, presumably did not use it to access study.

*= we don’t actually see the key or at least not told the color. these colors are just based on house colors.

i’m currently making my way through my first complete htn reread which i know mentions some labs at some point, so i might come add more info as i find it! i feel like we’re likely going to be returning to canaan house in atn and suddenly some of this might become relevant again! alternately, i find it helpful when thinking through order of events in gtn as a reference guide.

also, i’m working through a similar list of resurrection beasts, but i’ll have to wait til i finish my htn reread (and maybe ntn reread too depending on how much i remember). let me know if you find any inconsistencies here or if this is helpful or even if there are other fun things you’d like to see organized from these books!

[lairofdragonagelore]

Comic: Dark Fortress

This post belongs to the series DA comic. The main intention is to collect the basic story of the comic and highlight any potential lore concept that may be of interest and may be explored later in the game series.

This post has the following points:

Story

Relevant Details

Characters:

Lore

In the Lore section:

Neromenian [Tevinter city] is also invaded by the Qunari.

Explanation of how to make Blue Wraiths: it requires Danarius' Sarcophagus, a sword made out of normal lyrium which is disintegrated in the process and fuses it into the body of the subject, and fire spells being constantly hit on the sarcophagus. The process takes hours and it is extremely painful.

The procedure to create a Red Wraiths requires Danarius' sarcophagus, a sword made out of red lyrium idol which is not destroyed in the process thanks to its self-regenerative properties, and the fire breath of a dragon. The process is faster, it may take minutes. We don’t know if it’s painful.

The use of a sword made out of the red lyrium idol grants to its wielder strong healing powers. This comes from the lore recently incorporated in Tevinter Nights which suspects that the red lyrium idol can regenerate itself.

The red wraith [Shirallas] reinforces, again, the idea that the red lyrium is a symbol of rage and vengeance, and not by chance it was narrated through an elf wearing the vallaslin of Elgar’nan, which tattoo design is a thorny vine.

By the end of the story, the Sarcophagus is deeply sunk into the ground, the red lyrium sword is sent to the Inquisition, and the red lyrium idol is being scried by Solas. We know he will take it eventually thanks to the book Tevinter Nights.

Eluvians are now surveillance cameras…. really, can this be taken seriously?

[Index page of Dragon Age Lore]

Story

We see that Shirallas, the magister that promised him power, and Cedric Marquette reach the Castellum Tenebris owned now by the bastard son of Danarius.

They remove Danarius' son from the castle and plan to use the sarcophagus to imbue Shirallas with red lyrium, then arm him with a sword made out of the red lyrium idol. The goal to turn Shirallas into this living weapon is to repel the Qunari invasion and recover Tevinter's former glory.

Meanwhile, Danarius' son, without his castle, goes to a tavern to drink in frustration. The group intercepts him and forces him to speak about what the magister plans to do. He reveals the details after being tortured by Fenris, including a secret passage into the castle.

The city close to the castle [Neromenian] is also invaded by the Qunari who want to stop these magisters from creating these aberrant warriors. They try to force their entrance into the castle.

As the group infiltrates into the castle via the secret passage, they find a Dragon inside, which presence is justified later: its fire is part of the process of creating a red wraith.

We see the variant in the process of creating a perrepatae like Fenris when used red lyrium: it requires a sword made out of a fragment of the red lyrium idol, which will survive the procedure.

With the dragon breath, the process is instantaneous.

We see the process by which Shirallas finally gets his most desired power. But he remains under the command of the Magister, simply because he was broken as Fenris told him he was going to end up. It’s worth noting that we have an aesthetic that relates rage, vengeful sense, Elgar’nar’s symbology, and thorny vines in the figure of Shirallas. All these elements are related to the Red Lyrium, which naturally has an “angry” energy, according to Cole’s words. Each of these elements is also potentially related to the codex  Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads found in the mural “The Death of a Titan”. It explains that something angry/red was hidden underground, unleashed because the Evanuris wanted more power, and vines tried to cage it for a while. I can see similar symbology in here, in Shirallas. I wonder if the Evanuris managed to do something like these magisters have been doing with red lyrium in order to reach divine power. If we think about it, Titans and Dragons both had the power to change reality. Dragons via the Fade, and Titans, apparently, through the reinforcement of reality by shaping The Stone, so Elvhenan had two sources of immense power to reach divinity: dragon blood and titan blood=lyrium.

Shirallas is now a red wraith, and we see his body has been marked with red lines that may or may not look like a vine. It does not have the symmetric and flawless shape that Fenris’ tattoo has. It’s a more chaotic version, following the untamed nature of the red lyrium. 

Fenris wounds him deadly, but Shirallas heals immediately. 

Marquette begins to panic and claims that the only way to stop the red wraith’s healing powers is to separate him from his weapon. After all, his sword was made out of a piece of the idol, which feeds from the red lyrium inside Shirallas’ body and, in consequence, heals him. Here is where we see that makes some sense the fact that the red lyrium idol self-regenerates: its powers can be transferred to a weapon. Knowing this, Ser Aaron Hawthorne sacrifices himself, separating Shirallas from the sword. This is probably the only action he feels it will ever matter in his life.

After this, Fenris can easily behead Shirallas.

I suppose the comic introduced to us the concept of Red Wraith that we may see in the future game. It’s the only reason I see to have made the concept so central in the comics. The red wraith also reinforces again the idea that the red lyrium is about rage and vengeance, and not by chance was narrated through an elf with the vallaslin of Elgar’nan, which tattoo design is a thorny vine. In contrast, we also see along the comic a human mage using thorny vines as her magic to kill and defend her people, as well as healing them.

Once the battle is over, they prepare Ser Aaron Hawthorne’s body for a proper bury in his origin city, and check what happened with the items that allowed the creation of the red wraith: the sarcophagus is deep into the ground thanks to Francesca, and the red lyrium sword will be sent to the Inquisition.

The red lyrium idol is in the hands of Danarius’ son, who wants to use it to guarantee his permanence in the Venatori. By the last panels of the comic, we know he’s being scryed by Solas... using an eluvian [?].

I found this a bit annoying too. Eluvians were used to travel long distances. Tevinters managed to use them for communication, meaning, that they could talk through them with another person who also had an eluvian. This one used by Solas works like a surveillance camera  moving over the head of Danarius’ son, lol. Are eluvian allowed to have this scry property? I’m not sure.

Comics are really wild when it comes to details in the lore and show up how much Gaider was needed to keep some lore consistency. Since he left Bioware, the products that have been appearing related to Dragon Age have a lot of weird, never hinted lore, that makes me fear the fate of the world of Thedas in the future games.

Relevant details:

Why the title? This story is focused on the Castellum Tenebris, Danarius’ castle that now is owned by his bastard son, where the first Red Wraith was created, hence the name of the comic.

Time: After defeating Corypheus and [maybe] after the DLC Tresspasser. I assume this because Varric is Viscount of Kirkwall.

Characters: We learn a bit more about Ser Aaron Hawthorne [the truth about his legend in Ostagar]:

He is haunted by his sense of uselessness when he was part of Loghain’s army that left the King Cailan in the middle of the battle against the darkspawn. 

He had managed to reach Cailan with plenty of time, but it did not matter, since the ogre killed him in front of him, and since then, Ser Aaron Hawthorne has not been the same anymore, feeling that none of his actions truly mattered in the end. That’s why he ends up being so bold during the combat against the Red Wraith and sacrifices to finally make one of his actions matter.

Concepts:  what can this comic provide in terms of lore?

We have an explanation, again, of the process that made warriors [Blue Wraiths] like Fenris:

It includes the sarcophagus, a sword made out of lyrium which disappears when it gets fused into the body of the subject, and a fire-based spell that should last hours. The process was slow and filled with excruciating pain.

In contrast, the process of creating a Red Wraith is faster, reduced to minutes, due to the use of red lyrium and dragonfire. It includes Danarius’ sarcophagus too, and a sword made out of the red lyrium idol. 

Since the red lyrium idol seem to have healing properties in itself [information hinted in the book Tevinter Nights], it provides healing power to the red wraith as long as the wraith is in contact with the weapon.

By the end of the story, Marquette gives the idol to Danarius’ son who wants to impress the Venatori so he can be still part of them. The inconsistency with which DA lore treats the red lyrium idol, in a world that already knows that the red lyrium is terrible.... is astounding.

A curious detail: Marquette implies that the red lyrium has been rendered useless, emphasised by the drawing which shows it like a wooden carved piece, without red lyrium in it. I always claimed in my post Red Lyrium Idol  that the figure looked like made out of wood and not of red lyrium. This makes me suspect that the red lyrium idol feeds on red lyrium, but it is not made out of it. How this affects the lore is impossible to know for me, since there is no detailed information about it.

The other element used for the development of red wraith is the sarcophagus which Francesca sunk into the ground via her vine-powers. They freed the dragon used in the creation of the red Wraith

[meganwasbored]

The Dragon Prince Thoughts Season 3 Episodes 5 and 6

i could’ve sworn i posted these immediately but turns out these have just been sitting in my notes app since february so here comes the rest of season 3 and 4 for anyone who cares

Episode 5

-i’m still very confused why ezran is in jail what did he do can someone please explain

-WHY are the chains necessary??? what do they think he’s gonna do, squeeze through the bars???

-bait taking advantage of the absolute chaos that is happening in the castle to steal jelly tarts for ezran is just the best

-“see? this isn’t so bad!” the child says while sitting in the jail cell he may or may not be in for the rest of his life

-“still as a mouse” mice are the least still creatures ever what are you talking about

-the snakes REGENERATE???? that took like 10 seconds there was no way they could’ve gotten to safety in time anyway

-seriously who the heck is this dude and how does he benefit from all this

-i feel so stupid right now but how does a king stepping down land him in jail???? he’s 9????

-Opeli is the only competent one here viren was literally just arrested for treason you’re telling me not one other person is concerned about this???

-claudia looks so unfazed

-callum literally risking his life to not touch rayla just so things aren’t awkward but in doing so makes things much more awkward

-“it’s subtle but if you look closely you can see the ambler’s tracks” girl anyone with eyes can see those tracks they’re bigger than you

-YES SOREN IM SORRY I KEEP DOUBTING YOU

-this is the first show in a long time that genuinely makes me laugh out loud

-the guards continue to be the funniest characters in this entire show

-they’re trying to make viren look somewhat redeemable by caring so much about claudia as if he didn’t just tell soren to his face that he doesn’t care if he dies like idc what happens i will never forgive this man

-not to sound ungrateful but what the heck is the baker doing here

-honestly i support nyx in all that she does, you snooze you loose

-“no need to paint a picture”

”i would only need one color for that picture”

*walks away annoyed*

“brown”

-“ezran in his last act as king insisted that whoever didn’t wish to fight could lay down their arms” can’t you just… change that?

-RESPECT

-zym couldn’t have done that the first time she tried to kidnap him?

-did phoe phoe just… come out of the moon???

-when your girlfriend is so impressive that you risk death just to watch her fight

-“you are so….” YOURE TRYING TO KILL ME

-the fact that she literally kissed him yesterday and kissed him back right now yet he still feels the need to apologize for kissing her like trust me dude i think she likes you back

-after rewatching that three times i just realized they’re kissing literally right in front of nyx and i’ve never seen anybody acknowledge this

Episode 6

-is the ambler just immune to snake bites like how has it not been bitten by now

-is “amble” a word because my phone keeps autocorrecting “ambler” to “amble”

-cuties

-i love that no one is even surprised about viren’s “little bug pal”

-still don’t get how aaravos’s… soul(?) can go outside of the mirror like he’s practically not even imprisoned

-ANOTHER KING HARROW FLASHBACK LETS GOOOOO

-y’all will never understand how much i love that man i still can’t believe he’s gone

-dude why are you explaining to this man in detail how his wife died

-genuinely don’t know how much of what past viren is saying is true, how much of this does he actually believe and how much of it is he just saying to manipulate harrow into doing the spell

-“i will leave you with your grief” who SAYS THAT???

-i’m sorry i know some of you like him for some reason but prince kasef is just a loser with a crown he’s just so unpleasant to be around like he’d be on the cover of spoiled-entitled-judgmental-princes magazine

-“is you father talking to himself?”

“no, of course he’s not talking to himself, that’d be crazy! he’s talking to his little bug pal!”

-still kinda blown away that the dragons can talk, like they practically have human brains at this point what is even considered an animal in this world? like in theory elves could be considered animals (not that i consider them animals because i don’t) i’m just saying where do we draw the line?

-“are you okay? are you hurt? let me look at you” MY HEARTTTTT

-IF THIS BIRD DIES I BURN THIS HOUSE DOWN

-CRYING

-this is so frustrating because callum has every right to hate thunder(i’m just not gonna remember his real name i’m sorry it’s 2:33 am) and runaan for killing his parents but rayla has a personal connection to both of them (one was (is?) practically her dad and the other was her king) so like we’re in a tough spot here and i respect rayla so much for being so understanding

-oh my gosh how did it not occur to me that they’re literally right there, like they’re so close to the cave

[lotus-mirage]

Trigun Stampede episode 5 liveblog!

Oh already going in with more allusions to christianity, okay.

I feel like I should focus a little bit more on these, but honestly idk who’s speaking and if their philosophies actually are relevant outside of worldbuilding. Here goes anyway!

“We Sinners were cast upon this land when the ark crashed.” -> two important things here. First, the term ‘sinners,’ unless the ark was carrying, like, convicts, this is presumably a basic christian idea that everybody sins during their life. However tonally this doesn’t read like it’s followed with ‘and then everybody is forgiven,’ more like the speaker hates humanity in general, including themselves. Second, probably more important plot-wise. ‘Ark’ - the most likely reading is this is the spaceship that brought humans to the planet. It’s probably not the same one that we saw with child Vash, but since they also had Plants they’re probably related? ‘Crashed’ is an interesting term to use - I’d assumed that the Plants were planned to be used as resources for colonization, as convenient as they seem to be, but I guess it would make sense that maybe the rest of a high-tech civilization just doesn’t know about these guys if they crashed.

Then again, this guy may be totally mistaken, so who knows.  He’s certainly got an agenda of his own already.

It has been 8 seconds into the episode. I need to stop overthinking.

“Angel of Salvation” oh interesting.  I bet somebody’s gonna try to claim this role.

Oh this is definitely a cult, okay.

wait a second isn’t there a whole thing in Christianity about only worshiping God or an aspect of him? Like isn’t that the (nominal) reason for a bunch of denominational splits?? Certainly seems like the focus here is on this angel and not God.

(Actually come to think of it - I have no idea how the worship of saints is factored into... all of that.  Idk if that’s totally relevant though, I don’t think they’re quite deified like this guy seems to be doing)

“Please let the wind blow. Otherwise I...” gonna be relevant later, noted.  Also wow that was interesting background music.

Oh it keeps going I thought I could take a break sdfjgkl okay

Two angels now!  Okay yeah that one seems pretty obvious at least that’s the twins.  Bridge of light, though. Sounds nice, but I suspect it’s rather ominous, esp with it leading them ‘to the land of god’. Like I know that’s kind of how christianity goes but like it also sounds like this bridge might straight-up just kill everybody.  Idk what it could be though.  Also no idea how this guy knows about them!

Also interesting that this is being broadcasted wide enough that they can just pick it up, I’d assumed this was a smaller-scale cult thing, but maybe it’s more widespread?

Oh details! Church of plant worshipers. New? In JuLai? Yeah that checks out.  Assumedly connections to Knives?

Aaand the two people with potentially relevant insight are asleep for this.

Roberto, dude, you good? This is the most animated we’ve seen him I think lol.

Interesting, that place looks a bit like a greenhouse maybe?

EAT THE SACRIFICED CHILDREN, WHAT

Oh it is a death cult

Nope, definitely not a greenhouse lol

Okay interesting now we’ve got meteorological shifts happening

What’s up with this guy’s head?? Is that like a full-on LED display?? It gives him a head-in-a-jar vibe.

Presumably the scenes with the new kid are a flashback?

the framing with the kid running away and every beat the screen size shrinks is really cool, you don’t see that too often!

Oh interesting! So going in I knew Wolfwood had like a limited regeneration/healing thing, but looks like this guy also does, and Wolfwood is surprised about it.  That implies that they’re different factions and the method isn’t widespread, so... guess we’ll just have to see what’s up with that!

Ah.  He delivered the kid back to his impending death.  Wonderful

“If God won’t save you, I will!”

that’s a statement and a half.  You know what, not touching that one.

Aaaand there’s a cross in the background behind him.  Yeah okay.

Incredibly upfront about being a death cult, wow

Uh.  Humanoid robots? Cyborgs? not sure.  but with one of Knive’s allies. Which makes sense, but uh.  Why is Rollo here? I assumed maybe this was part of the sacrifice process, but its dark and there aren’t many people around. If it is, though, I feel like the sacrifices are related to the aforementioned cyborg-looking guys.  Which is horrifying ngl.

ughhh needles

not gonna deal with the fire at all huh

okay. dichotomy of sacrifice and angel. previously the way it’s been used one would assume they’re non-exclusive, but the way she answered that makes me feel like she thinks entirely the opposite. and also that the sacrifices are probably for the angels.

oh lmao more cross imagery. they really don’t let up huh.

ugh more needles hooray

is Rollo the guy they’re fighting now?

huh the angel kid is heterochromatic. could be a design choice, but I guess could be relevant?

oh that looks disgusting. and painful.

yep that’s Rollo.  fun times.

oh that’s ironic.  he can produce wind, but only now that everything is gone. :(

oh.  oh he has self awareness.  oh that’s even worse.

wait, Vash could recognize him??

Twenty years, huh? Yeah that makes sense actually, given the wear on the town. And the story about the massacre.  Sooooo implication: Vash doesn’t age.

But if Rollo was a breakthrough success like that, why’d they just leave him here?

Okay yeah more confirmation he doesn’t age, good to have that solidified. 

Wait. Wait, was this the same religious faction as is going on in JuLai? I’ve been conflating them in my head, but they could be separate. But if the death cult was already well established in the windmill town and Vash was around enough to have a photo of him with a local baby Rollo, how did he not know about it??

“just a monster now” wonder if that’s something he fears for his own future

ah. headshot. can’t say there wasn’t leadup, but uh. oof.

presumably stuff under the mask can’t do the same regeneration/healing we saw before?

“Mercy. There’s no way to return his humanity” Wonder if that is also self-projection.

Wait, okay.  The wind returned after Rollo died.  Symbolic, or like.  Is the implication that the cult was actually onto something?? What.

Okay so further confirmation that it’s all just Knives’ group. Including Wolfwood, which I went into this kind of knowing.

Wait lmao they’re crediting the kill to the gun? The big cross-shaped lazer-firing machine gun with the skull on it? lmao.

Unless they’re using that as a different title for him.  Which would probably make more sense actually.  Which ah. Conflating him and his weapon.  Or could just be his title?

Actually putting that together with the whole Christianity bent gives some weird results not going to lie.  If it’s the gun, well it’s cross-shaped and ends up weirdly implying agency??  If it’s Wolfwood, that implies a couple of different roles.  None of which, as far as I’m aware, tended to tote a cross around. Then again I have not actually read the bible so who knows.

The windmill still works!? That took me off guard, but it is quite an image.

End notes:

I need to stop pausing and going on speculative rambles about stuff that gets elaborated on two lines later.  It has taken me over an hour and fifteen minutes to watch a single episode.  This is just silly.  orz

I think most of the stuff of interest I covered during the beat-by-beat segment. I think the visuals are getting more interesting?  There’s a little less everybody-flopping-around-everywhere, but the animation itself is very good while I find myself more and more interested by the framing.

I’m not actually sure if I knew Vash was somewhere unspecified between unaging and immortal, but I find myself unsurprised. I do wonder about the timeline though.

[xcal1bur25]

Aki. Isn’t. Dead.

Okay. I’m gonna preface this by saying this isn’t copium. I don’t mind Aki staying dead. I’m not in tears about him being gone or pretending otherwise. Nah. If he’s gone, he’s gone, and that’s fine. But I don’t think he is, not really.

See, here’s the thing. The way Aki “dies” contains three (3) very suspicious factors to it. 1) It’s to the gun devil. 2) It’s off-screen. 3) It’s under the control of Makima.

I will examine the factors of each section in order.

1) The Gun Devil.

In Chainsaw Man, we are repeatedly told that devils can possess a human corpse, forming a Fiend. We are also told that this is what happened to Aki. However, this is not the only way that a human and devil can be fused. Indeed, Denji himself is an example of a Hybrid, a living human fused with a devil, while retaining their humanity. In regards to Hybrids, there are again three important factors to note. Firstly, Hybrids are, at least as far as we have seen, specifically formed from Weapon Devils. Perhaps because they come from not human fear, but the fear devils have of those weapons, but that is pure speculation. It is however, worth noting that the Gun Devil (and hey, aren’t guns weapons? Man, I almost forgot that guns were weapons. It kinda makes sense for a Gun Hybrid to exist, I mean after all there’s a flamethrower and bomb hybrid so modern weapons aren’t excluded) was formed after guns became common as a way to fight devils, and were then used in a large terrorist attack. A part of me believes that the assumption that it was the terrorist attack that created the gun devil is a case of correlation != causation, and that it may actually be the guns being used against devils that created the gun devil, but that’s tangential to the point. The point is that the Gun Devil is a weapon devil and therefore a Gun Hybrid can exist. Second. Hybrids are fully immortal. They can regenerate from anything, and I mean anything, so long as they have the blood to do so. I think you see where I’m going with this now, but wait THERE’S MORE. Third, Makima is someone who is extremely interested in Hybrids, even outside the context of the Chainsaw Devil, and makes an active effort to recruit them. The power of the Gun Devil, too, seems like the sort of thing that Makima would see as a waste to destroy. She would much rather...Control It. And perhaps it would be easier to control (and hide, and take advantage of) if it was contained in the body of one extremely straight-laced simp.

2) “Our Dear Friend Aki, Who Died Mysteriously Offscreen”

Yeah we’re just told “oh yeah, and also the Gun Devil ‘escaped’ Makima and managed to take control of a ‘corpse’ that was nearby”. And we take that at face value? That is some disney death bullshit. There’s no way that’s all there is to it. There has to be a reason why we are shown exactly ZERO details of how Aki became the Gun “Fiend” during that fight. Now, the basic assumption here is that Makima let it escape using Aki’s corpse specifically on purpose to emotionally destroy Denji. Which is totally something she would do. But ya wanna know what ELSE is even MORE in character for Makima?

3) Gaslighting, Gatekeeping, and Girlbossing for Fun and Profit

What if Aki was not, in fact, the Gun Fiend? What if instead, Makima subdued the Gun Devil, forced the Gun Devil and Aki to make a contract with each other, turned Aki into the Gun Hybrid, told Denji that he needed to fight the Gun Fiend, and then mind controlled Aki into fighting Denji in such a way that he would act a lot like a fiend. Why would Makima do things this way? Well because it contains literally ALL of the upsides of just making Aki a Fiend, with the added bonus of, and this is key,

SHE CAN USE BLOOD TO REVIVE HIM AFTER DENJI KILLS HIM,

adding yet another extremely strong hybrid to her collection. A hybrid she would very specifically NOT send along with all the others in the fight vs pochita, because demonstrating to Denji that his friend isn’t dead would be phenomenally counterproductive.

TL;DR, Denji didn’t fight the Gun Devil possessing Aki’s corpse as a fiend, he fought Aki Hayakawa, The Gun Hybrid, being mind controlled by Makima who then revived him after the battle because you can do that with Hybrids.

Now, I don’t expect his return to be all sunshine and rainbows, you know damn well Fujimoto’s gonna milk that shit for all the emotional suffering it’s worth, but when, not if, Aki ends up being alive in part 2? I want it on record that I am writing this post on 10/23/2022 because I’m gonna go back and reblog it and say I told you so.

[dochaes]

Some relevant recent stuffs:

I am active again, and while it will very likely be low activity, I’m resuming looking at the dashboard more and interacting with people’s posts more. I am open for plotting and being sent memes. I will likely be posting an interactions call that people can like for plotting, reply for memes, etc. but you are free to approach me yourself as always. If we’ve plotted before and I never got back to you, I would appreciate if you gave me a nudge about that, but as that is not your responsibility, I will also try to go through both Discord and IMs to see if I have left any plotting messages unresponded (I will be slow about this because my social energy is very lacking; if you do message me please don’t think anything of it if I take a long time responding).

I’m in the process of adding an about page and a navigation page. In the mean time, I have links for important tags etc. on my rules page, and all you really need to know is that my Thirteen is not Timeless Child compliant and completely ignores that plotline.

My rules page has remained basically the same for a long while now, but if you’ve been here since years ago and haven’t looked at it since following, I’d give it a read. I redid it I think the beginning of last year, entirely, and I have added to it and tweaked it since, but the main points remain similar.

I love the Doctor as much as I’ve loved them since I first wrote any regeneration of them over nine years ago now, so this blog isn’t going to be abandoned, but I also run three other roleplay blogs. If you’re interested (I am basically open to following anyone I am mutuals with on all of my blogs so please feel free to follow; I have anxiety about following first sometimes because I don’t want to make people feel like they have to write with all my muses if they write with one), I run

a multimuse with OCs as well as muses from fandoms such as Mass Effect, Our Flag Means Death, Doctor Who, Hannibal, Supernatural, Lost, Reign, etc. @smokedanced (rules are the same as here in general but please note that you have to fill out my interest tracker on the multi if you want me to interact with you there, or at least send me things first so I know at least one muse you have interest in writing with),

Castiel of Supernatural @waywardfeathered (rules are the same as here in general, but please note that he’s canon divergent), and

the player character of the Mass Effect trilogy, Shepard, @dutyworn (again, rules are the same in general, but please note that while she is crossover friendly, the only manner I will cross her over and away from the trilogy universe is through wrong universe kind of a crossover; I will very happily place her in any fandom, but she will always be a soldier from 22nd century Earth/Milky Way; I can drop her into your fandom and make it make sense in how it happens for her and her canon’s timeline; this is probably my highest activity blog at the moment).

Please do feel free to interact, whether we have written together before or not! :)

[sarah-dipitous]

Hellsite Nostalgia Tour 2023 Day 3

“Dead In the Water”

Would I Survive The First Five Minutes?? Mmmm, I think so. I don’t think I would go swimming alone like that. I love a good lake swim (or a good wading into the lake maybe up to my knees. Lake Erie isn’t the BEST at being clean...), but thankfully I didn’t compete in swimming in high school and wouldn’t feel comfortable with the kind of swimming our victim of the day did 3/3

I don’t know if it’s just my disdain for Jared Padalecki or just being an older sibling, but I stay on Dean’s side in nearly all of their arguments

...and I also love when he horribly fails at flirting.

HIS VOICE CRACKED WHEN HE SAID “THAT’S MY MOM” IN HIS DRAWING. I CAN’T.

(why did i think that the fish that dude was gonna cook was a rat at first??) GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE DUDE!! WHY ARE YOU REACHING IN THIS WATER??? No. No. No. Well, damn.

Dean...I don’t think you need to do this monologue. I think Lucas is drawing you something to help just on his own. Or is this monologue really more for Sam?

Spoiler alert: it was.

(I thought part of the second drawing was a dalek...so, there’s that)

What did you DO, Bill?

Oh no, girlie...what are you doing taking a bath right nowwwww??

Okay, the makeup on the actor playing the kid who originally drowned is creepier than anything in either of the previous two episodes.

I’m not saying it’s their job to save the town from going under when the lake dries up, but it was a weird plot point early on that everyone just seems okay with??

“The End of the World”

Okay...here’s the thing. Either the Doctor has really good intuition on Rose that she’d still travel with him after this episode, or he didn’t really want a companion at this point because..............no, I’m making myself sad about this because even though we (or maybe just I) don’t know exactly how much time has passed since he regenerated from being the War Doctor, taking your new companion to see the end of THEIR planet is a HUGE test of whether or not they can hang with everything you’re going through at the moment.

(Side note: isn’t one of her first outings with Ten to New Earth? God. This show can be REALLY GOOD)

I did watch the preview for this episode the other day, and the cast of characters is just...amazing. The Face of Boe? Cassandra the Last Human?? To quote Nine, fantastic!!

Rose accepts everything very quickly. I love that for her.

We don’t use The Adherence of the Repeated Meme (is that how they spell it in the show??) enough...with how often we repeat memes???

The “iPod”!!! God...it’s so good.

I take back Rose accepting things quickly. I’m glad that she’s questioning him, I’m glad this is hitting her pretty hard.

HANG THE FUCK ON. The Doctor saved a family from going on the Titanic and then he WENT ON THE TITANIC ANYWAY??? MY DUDE. And then later went on aNOTHER TITANIC?? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!

A BITCHY TRAMPOLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!!! GWORL!!! How did I overlook Rose so much all these years??

I love traditional Earth ballads lol

I also appreciate how Cassandra finds time to make quips about her former husbnads in all of this

“You lot, just chill!” as the temperature rises and the heat death of Earth is imminent?? Sure.

It had been years since I last watched this episode, and I remembered next to nothing about it, but I was right about his motivation for bringing Rose to the end of the world.

[sarinotsari]

POTD Review

Okay so I have several thoughts about POTD and I want to discuss everything I can remember. I’m afraid I’ve forgotten a lot of the episode already due to goldfish brain though. Also my thoughts will be out of order because I also can’t remember the order of events.

So, as someone who has never seen Classic Who, I would say Sarah Jane, Jo, Susan, and Ace are the classic companions I know the most about. So seeing Ace throughout the episode was really fun and had me wanting to see more of her. Jo’s cameo at the end was really exciting too. As for Tegan, all I knew about her was that she was Australian, a former air hostess, and is canonically married to Nyssa. This was basically a Tegan introduction for me, and all I have to say is BBC PLEASE give Ace and Tegan a spin off, they were both amazing and I loved their scenes together so much. It was a bit disappointing never hearing Nyssa being mentioned (unless I missed it, in which case... sorry Nyssa). The companion support group at the end annoyed me a little because it was just “here are 13′s companions and the classic companions” and completely ignoring 9-12′s companions. It does make sense, though, because most of them can be explained away such as Rose being in the parallel world, Donna not being able to remember her time, Clara returning to her death point or still travelling with Ashildr, and Bill and Nardole being dead. As for Martha, Amy, and Rory, Freema and Karen film a lot more in America now and probably couldn’t take time to travel, and I assume they wouldn’t have wanted Arthur back without Karen.

I had mixed feelings about the edge of existence thing because I love the idea of former Doctors helping the current one through the regeneration process, but there was a line that said something like “once you go past here, there is no turning back” and it didn’t make sense to me because, if a Doctor can’t come back, then how are all of you here to share that message? And how is David Tennant back as the Doctor? Overall though, I loved that part of the story and it was nice to see so many versions of the Doctor returning.

Before I start this paragraph, I want to preface saying I LOVE SACHA DHAWAN! I love the Dhawan Master! HOWEVER, I felt like there was too much of the Master in an episode titled Power of the Doctor. Yes, it made my heart happy to see Sacha in the episode. Yes, I want him to play the Master for 5-20 more years because I love his acting so much. But still, the story just felt too Master-heavy for me. It also felt like the Daleks were basically sidekicks in this episode, maybe they should’ve taken some of the Masters scenes and given them to the Daleks to make them more scary. Still, it did make me happy because Sacha is an amazing actor and I loved seeing him featured. (Side note: The Rasputin dancing scene was 10/10. I love that insane man.)

The lack of the Fugitive Doctor is probably what bothered me the most about this episode. From what I can remember, she only got one scene. One, or even two, scene(s) is not nearly enough for a.) the talent of Jo Martin, who should have her own spin off or b.) the actual character of the Fugitive Doctor, who is a very important aspect of the Doctor’s history. WHY did they not have David Bradley and Jo Martin in a scene together?! That would’ve been such a great scene to watch! Anyway, I have to end my Fugitive Doctor rant because I could literally spend hours talking about her if I don’t stop myself.

Also, a few thoughts about the Doctor’s species: I honestly thought the people on the ship at the beginning of the episode were of that species because of the “that energy... they’re regenerating” line, which made me think they knew about regeneration because they could regenerate. Plus, they were carrying the Qurunx, which had taken the form of a child who I presumed to be the Timeless Child. And, really, it’s not entirely impossible that the Qurunx is the Doctor’s species. If the Timeless Child had taken the form of a child in order to be rescued by Tecteun, it could be that former incarnations of the Doctor were then forced to remain in a humanoid figure. I also like the theory that Bel (who should have been in the episode and was very missed by me, in part due to me being slightly very in love with her) and Vinder are the Doctor’s parents, which I wish would have been confirmed at some point in the episode.

I’ve loved the entirety of Jodie’s era, but even I have to admit it did kind of feel like the show was going downhill despite my love for it remaining strong. Which, honestly, it’s not that surprising that I (and many others) felt that way. Even if we ignore the Classic years, the show is still nearing 20 years on air with 13 series and countless specials and it’s to be expected that a show would hit a lull after so long on air. But this episode, to me, felt like the early years of the revival when everything was fresh and exciting.

Overall, this was a great episode (honestly maybe one of my favorites of the entire show) and the minor issues I had with it don’t make it any less exciting. I’m going to miss Jodie and Mandip so much, but I look forward to David and Catherine’s return as well as Ncuti and Yasmin’s entries. I’d love to see Sacha and Jo return to their roles in RTD2, but I’m not very hopeful of either of them returning, so I’ll say now that I thought they both added such amazing performances to this era and their presence will be greatly missed.

[honey-im-hotdog]

Seven Cubes of Sugar 

Twelfth Doctor x Immortal!Alien!Reader, mentions of Eleventh Doctor x Immortal!Alien!Reader

Author’s Note: This is my first Doctor Who fic! I really don’t like Doctor x human because that has an abundance of issues, so I made reader be nonhuman, and immortal simply cause I don’t want the Doctor to lose more people 🥺 The book mentioned is “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Also, this is for #dwweek2022 Day One - Favorite Doctor! I hope you enjoy :D 

As always, reader is supposed to be gn+vague, so if you catch any mistakes related to that please let me know.

Words: 2.2k 

Warnings: Fluff (the title is in reference to how fluffy I tried making this), swearing, soft!Twelve, mentions of Doctor’s insecurity/self-hatred, kind of choppy. 

Summary: A day at the park, reflecting on your Doctor, with a book and some ice cream. 

Check out my Masterpost 

——————————— 

It was on Trenzalore that you met the Doctor.

You had lived there long before the humans came. You were born on that planet, played, grew up…and first died there… But that’s a story for another time.

You were coming back from visiting an old friend in the village when you saw him, the Doctor, a strange man, speaking to a crowd like he was a part of the townsfolk.

He was weary of you, he couldn’t stay near you for long, called you unnatural. Soon after, as the years went by, people he knew and befriended in Christmas started to pass away, and the only person to feel his grief, to understand, was you. And so, you two grew closer. Becoming friends, and then more, until he married you.

He told you about his companions, all the adventures, every good and bad and in-between moment of his life. Afterall, you and Bowtie had almost a millennium together stuck on that planet.

Then came the Daleks, and with them, the Doctor’s death. Well, that’s what you thought until he was granted more regenerations.

The Doctor had taken his regeneration really hard. Going from being young to an old and angry man had been hard for him. His tiredness, his pain, his hurt, it was all etched into the wrinkles of his skin. He didn’t even need to look into a mirror to see it, he simply had to look at his hands to be reminded of his new body, of his new self. There was so much he couldn’t stand about his new regeneration.

And then there was you: young looking, forever stuck at the same age, and heart-stoppingly in love with him. You have always been unwavering in your adoration, in your kindness, in your support. As the bowtie-wearing Doctor, he never felt deserving of you; sometimes yet, he almost couldn’t bear the fact that you were tied down to him. But you have always been strong in your love for him, always soothing his fears and concerns with your gentle words, your soft touches, and your calming presence.

In the beginning he tried pushing you away, tried distancing himself from you. You, in turn, always grabbed his hand and pulled him back to you. Even though it wasn’t easy, you had steadily assured him that you don’t mind his new self, that you love him all the same.

So here you two are, several years into him teaching at St. Luke’s, in a park in the middle of the day, having a not-really-but-kind-of date. This Doctor, more than Bowtie, gravitated towards reading, and that’s what he is currently doing. Sitting on the dark green bench, one leg crossed over the other, and a book in his lap.

Upon entering the park, you had immediately noticed the small ice cream stand. Given your Doctor’s sweet tooth, you left him to get comfortable on the bench while you went to go buy a cone to share.

“Thank you, enjoy.”

You thank the man in return and head over to the Doctor. As you walk, you watch him. You love watching him when he’s giving his undivided focus to something, whether that be the TARDIS, in lectures, a book, or you. Each thing, each occurrence called for a different expression on his face, but the way he fully immersed himself always intrigued you.

Yet, no matter how focused he could get in other things, your Doctor was always in tune with you.

Your husband has come a long way since he regenerated into this body. You still remember the first day you spent with the Scottsman dragging you around Victorian London.

———————

You watch as the Doctor snatches the newspaper off the ground and waddles back to the old man, grabbing him and forcing him to look down at the paper.

Though this body is quite different and the mannerisms not as open, as child-like, he still behaves similarly to Bowtie. Minds working faster than anyone could fathom and having a general lack of social skills. Hence, the terrorization of the poor man.

All in all, you know the Doctor—your Doctor—is still the same. Different, yes—but still the Doctor. Still the man you spent the last nine hundred years with. Still the man who tries his very best to help those that need it, whether they realize they need it or not.

A shout from the homeless man brings you back from your observations. The Doctor is wrestling the man, whose name neither of you bothered to gather, for his coat. This, you decide, is probably a good time to intervene.

“Fine!” the Doctor throws his hands in the air, letting go of the man’s collar. “Fine! Fine, fine! You don’t want to give me your coat. Okay!” He steps back from the man and rubs his hands together. “H-How about,” he cuts himself off, looking around like he’s trying to solve a puzzle. “Yeah. Yeah! How about a trade?! I’ll give y—here! Take my watch! I’ll give you my watch for your coat!” the Doctor shoves his wrist in the man’s face and starts tugging at the coat sleeve.

You rush the last four steps to the two men and grab your husband’s arm to pull him away. “No. No, Doctor. Just—hold on a second, will you!” You hush him, ignoring the pout he’s giving you for now. You place your hands on his arms and turn to the other man, “I’m sorry about him, sir. It was very nice meeting you, have a good day.” He doesn’t need any more prompting to get out of there and far away from the mad Time Lord.

“What’d you do that for?! I’m cold! I need his coat!” he stares down at you in bewilderment, eyebrows are almost climbing off of his face. As the elderly man reaches the end of the alleyway, the Doctor turns his fury to him, “Oi! Come back here, I need your coat!”

“Doctor, it’s okay,” you pivot the two of you until his back is to the exit so he wouldn’t be able to harass the poor soul that had accidently stumbled upon the frenetic Scot. “It’s fine. Be fair, he was cold to—”

“No! It isn’t okay! I’m very cold, I needed his coat!” His arms escape your grip in wild gestures; sometimes you forget how strong Time Lords can be.

“If you’re cold,” your voice is comically calm compared to his, “all you had to do was say so in the first place.” You begin removing your soiled coat.

“What are you doing?!”

You raise an eyebrow at him, “What does it look like? I’m giving you my coat, idiot.”

“What would you do that for? Now you’ll be cold!” His voice gets higher and higher as you take off the garment, attack eyebrows climbing up and up his newly worn face.

You take a step closer to reach around him, gently placing the coat onto his shoulders. “I’d rather me than you.”

You mutter it absentmindedly, but the blow it delivers to the Doctor is substantial. This whole time he had been scared—no, terrified—that you wouldn’t accept his new body. Mere minutes ago, when he had stared at himself in the grimy mirror, he felt a lump lodge itself in his throat. Not because he hated his new regeneration, really, but because of you. How could he expect you to be okay with being married to a man that looked as if he could be your father—worse, your grandfather? Yes, you had stuck by him since he had pulled you into the Thames, not acting any differently than usual (other than being concerned about the post-regeneration and his subsequent running around), but he thought that was because it hadn’t settled in for you. That you were too busy chasing around after him to have fully understood that he is old now, that he is different.

But here you are. Willing to brave the bitter sting of the London air just so he wouldn’t be cold anymore. Removing your coat and giving it to him as easily as you breathe. He feels as if the skies had parted and a warm ray of sunshine finally kissed his freezing heart.

You tug at his wrists to bring his mind back from wherever it had wandered, gesturing for him to put his arms through the sleeves. And the smile you give him further melts the frost that has started to enclose him; the same sweet smile, filled with love and adoration, and just a dash of fond exasperation.

However, he isn’t able to bask in it for long. Like a bucket of ice water, he realizes that he can’t bring himself to embrace you, not like he used to be able to. His arms feel like lead and his heart sinks just as heavy.

Him whispering your name draws your eyes up from where you were patting down the coat. His expression of grief has your own face filling with concern yet again.

“What? What is it, Doctor?”

“I,” he pauses, at a loss of words. “I’m not—.” He’s shrugging his shoulders and looking away now. How could he describe the faults of his new body, the faults that are letting you down—the last thing he ever wanted to do.

You rest your hands on his arms again, thumbs trying to sooth him. “It’s okay,” you say softly, “take your time. Or just spit something out if that’ll make it easier, and we’ll go through it together.”

“Touch. I can’t touch you. This body,” he wrings his hands together, voice slightly cracking. “This body doesn’t feel okay with touching. I don’t feel,” he stutters a little, “…comfortable.” His shoulders shag and his hands open, palms towards you, as if he’s saying, ‘This is what I am now.’

It takes you a while to reply, slowly turning over the information he just presented you. You know your silence is making him fidget, so you do the only thing that you can think of:

“Fine then.” You bring up your left index finger. “Compromise?” Your eyebrow raises in a hopeful look.

His brows furrow, as he also brings up his left index finger. “‘Compromise?’”

With a grin, you switch to your right finger and wrap it around his, pulling the interlocked digits down. “Yeah, a little compromise,” your voice is filled with reassurance, and you give his finger a little accompanying squeeze.

And there he goes again, wondering why he ever felt incertitude about your resilience. You have been there for him for the past 900 years, standing by his side and supporting him, loving him, simply being there for him, even when he didn’t know he needed you.

So he squeezes your finger back, as a silent thank you, not just for this, but for today as a whole, and for every time before.

“Doctor,” you say in a curious manner, stopping him from turning away to grab the abandoned newspaper, entwined fingers rising in the air behind him. “…You look like a penguin.”

Your giggles burst out at his eyebrows shooting up, looking independently cross.

———————

It took him a while, but slowly he got more and more accustomed to physical touch, going from tangling just pointer fingers to reaching for your whole hand like they were meant to be locked together. While he still isn’t as favorable to it, he is a lot more open. Over the time you’ve spent running around with Clara and the numerous decades in Bristol, you both worked out that he likes to initiate specific moments of physical affection rather than having constant contact with you. He’ll go hours without touching you, and then simply open up his arms or grab your hand, silently asking for you to be with him. (As if he needed any more reasons, your respect and understanding of his aversion to touch makes him adore you even more.)

Which is exactly what he does right now. The second you come within arm’s length to him, he’s shifting his body and opening up his arm to let you slide right in, all without looking away from the words on the page.

“I got your favorite this time. Last time you kept bitching about me getting my favorite,” you tease him as you wiggle around to get in the perfect position; half of your back pressed against his chest, your side snugly fitted into his, and one arm thrown over his lap, fingers gently rubbing his thigh.

It’s automatic when he lefts out a scoff and mumbles, “‘Bitching.’” His arm comes up to wrap around your shoulders and squeeze you into him more. “I do not bitch. You simply don’t have the superior taste in sweets as I do, darling.”

In response, you bring the frozen treat up to his lips and let out a scoff of your own, “Yes, because seven sugar cubes in your tea is ‘superior.’”

He grumbles under his breath around the ice cream in his mouth.

You roll your eyes. “Where are you on the page?” you say in slight exasperation.

He picks up the book and rests his chin on your shoulder, “Bottom of the page, here.” His pinkie vaguely indicates a paragraph.

You take a lick of the ice cream, “Will you read to me, Doctor?”

“Do you even have to ask, love?” He readjusts his grip on the book and begins reading, “‘Of course, there was nothing concrete to suggest that it had been his mistake…’”